


DBH Writetober

by AbsoluteCreed



Series: Writetober 2019 [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Bottom Hank Anderson, Bottom Upgraded Connor | RK900, Breeding Kink, Come Inflation, Creampie, Cum Inflation, Hypothermia, Injury Recovery, Lingerie, M/M, Major Character Injury, Oviposition, Robo-gore, Sick Character, Sickfic, Smoking, Spooky, Suicidal Thoughts, Tentacle Monsters, Tentacle Sex, Tentacles, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name, Vomiting, Whump, android gore, reverse au, robot gore, writetober
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-11-10 14:27:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 69,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20853287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbsoluteCreed/pseuds/AbsoluteCreed
Summary: Decided to do Writetober this year, with my own list of prompts! The two main ships will be Hankcon and reed900, with some Reverse AU things thrown in! Heed the tags, though more will be added, when I remember them! For now, please enjoy these little one-shots!





	1. Day 1--Accident (Hankcon)

Ahh, fall. Autumn. Whichever you wanted to call it. It was one of Hank’s favorite seasons. Not too hot, not too cold, and the leaves on the trees (the few that were left around, anyways) were always gorgeous colors. And while he didn’t mind looking at the leaves, raking them up...was always a chore. Worse if they were wet.

Thankfully, this time, the rain had held off for a few weeks. The leaves that had fallen were mostly dry, aside from any morning dew that lingered. It was partly cloudy out, with only a hint of a breeze. Just cold enough for a jacket. The air smelled of  _ fall _ —there was no other way to describe it. Fall just had  its own scent, and not just pumpkin spice. Hank couldn’t put it into words, but the scent always just made him...feel at home. Despite everything that had happened to him.

At least, in that regard, things were finally looking up.

As he got the rake out, he looked up as he heard excited barking. He smiled, seeing Connor and Sumo playing around. Ever since the android came to live with him, he found that life...was improving. It started off rough and slow, but gradually things were getting better. Connor simply...loved him, for who he was. Even now, Hank had a hard time accepting and believing that, but Connor’s words and actions just proved how much he did love him. He slowly was getting away from alcohol, though he had a glass or two on some nights. No more getting blackout drunk. His diet was slowly improving, as well. Though often times, he and Connor would have to agree to disagree. There were just some foods he could not stand, even with Connor’s wonderful cooking abilities (that he downloaded, but hey they worked).

He was even getting up early, on some days, so the two of them could walk Sumo around the neighborhood, giving the oaf some exercise.

Hank knew he still had a long road to go, before he’d feel as confident as he did in his 30s, but hey he was getting there. He had his days and moments.

He hummed to himself, as he started raking up the leaves in the yard. There was a decent amount, as a windstorm the other day had practically stripped the neighboring trees of all of their leaves. And they all somehow ended up in his yard. Figures. Ah well. Hank didn’t mind too terribly. And besides, he’d be able to show Connor the joys of leaf piles, instead of just looking up images of them, inside of that smart head of his.

The joyful cries and happy barking behind him, made him smile. A slight twinge of sadness went through his chest, but he let it happen. Memories of Cole and a younger Sumo came to mind, but instead of burying it, he just...remembered. Something he taught himself. Burying the pain and sadness was just going to make things worse. And Connor, thank God, was so patient with him and his grief. He didn’t let the grief, pain, and memories completely take over, but he let them just...be. Remembering the good times, was good. After the initial sadness and pain, what was left was...genuine happiness. 

Again, some days were harder than most, but at least today, right now, everything was okay. Everything was going to be okay.

He was jarred out of his thoughts, as Sumo raced by him, nearly knocking him off of his feet.

“Jesus, Sumo!”

Connor followed soon afterwards, laughing. The Cyberlife jacket was gone now, and he wore a simple and loose long-sleeved shirt, and jeans. The casual look made him look so fucking charming, and reminded Hank of just how much he loved him.

“Sorry, Hank!” said Connor, passing by as he chased after Sumo, “We’ll be careful!”

“You better be, running around like fools...” muttered Hank, though there was no bite to his words. He smiled, watching Connor chase Sumo around, before going back to raking up the leaves. He had a decent pile going on now, almost up to his waist. A few more sweeps of the rake, and he’d have quite the big pile. After he showed Connor it, he’d have to scoop it into bags for the garbage to take out...but he could worry about that later.

Hank wanted to show Connor how to really enjoy fall, now that he had the ability to.

Just as he finished up, he turned around to call Connor over...only to have  Sumo barrel right into him.

And that was  170lbs of  dog running right into his legs.

An ungainly yelp left him, as he abandoned the rake, and fell right into the pile of leaves he had  ** just ** finished raking up. The pile practically engulfed him, and his vision was nothing but dark leaves. Only his legs were sticking out of the pile. At least the leaves smelled good.

“Hank!”

Connor’s hurried footsteps came close, before he wedged himself between Hank’s visible legs, and pushed the leaves aside, to finally reveal Hank to the world. His LED was circling yellow, as he looked at Hank, worriedly.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Fell on my ass, but it’s  nothin ’.” said Hank, unburying a hand to give it a dismissive wave, “Still...” He gave Connor a look, forcing himself not to smile, “I’d say you did that on purpose, Con. Making me fall into the leaves I had  ** just ** raked into a neat,  lil ’ pile...”

“It was an accident, I swear!” Connor pouted—full on pouted, “I didn’t think Sumo was going to run right into you, as he did. I thought he was going to miss you, like earlier! He must’ve slipped, o-or lost traction on the ground. We did recently trim his claws and all, and...”

He went quiet, as Hank cupped his cheeks with his hands. Instinctively, his synth-skin pulled back slightly, feeling all of Hank’s callouses and fingerprints. It was such a wonderful sensation, and he let that data wash over himself, his LED flickering back to blue finally. He watched Hank’s eyes glance at the LED, before looking at Connor...and smirking.

Before he knew it, Hank had a handful of his shirt, and gave him a hard tug into the pile.

With a yelp, he was pulled in, buried along with Hank, as the leaves covered them up. Other than Connor’s startled yellow LED, it was completely dark. There had been more leaves in the yard, than Connor thought. He then looked down at Hank...and that yellow LED calmed to blue, as he smiled at him.

Leaves were sticking to Hank’s beard and hair, and while Connor did reach out to get some of them away, he knew it was a lost cause. With all the leaves surrounding them, there’s no way they’d escape. He could feel a few getting caught in his own hair, too. Getting stuck on his clothes. He...found he didn’t mind too much. And another thing he didn’t mind...

“It smells...good in here.”

Hank blinked at that, before smiling.

“One of the many scents of fall. I like it, myself.” he said, pulling Connor closer, until he was practically laying on him, “You like it, too?”

Connor nodded, reaching up and toying with a leaf stuck in Hank’s beard, “It. ..suits you. Can we roll around in the leaves all the time, so that the scent lingers with us?”

Hank’s soft laughter made Connor’s internals heat up, feeling  _ and _ hearing the bubbling laughter underneath of him, on Hank’s soft body, “Might be a bit hard to do, but we’ll see. Hell, even walking around in the fall weather brings you that same lovely scent, and more.”

“More?”

Hank nodded, “Next time we walk through the park, I’ll bring it up again. I can’t exactly describe it...never been able to. But it smells like leaves, and the cold, the chill of a season coming through...”

Connor smiled, “Seems like you just described it, Hank.”

“Yeah, but good luck putting that on a candle.”

The two laughed, as they laid there in the pile, just enjoying one another’s company.  So what, if the pile was ruined? It’d be easily raked up again. Right now, the two of them were just enjoying each other, and the scent of leaves surrounding them.

...But their laughter attracted one more.

A friendly ‘ boof !’ came, followed by the shuffling of leaves, as Sumo dug his way into the pile as well, sloppy tongue finding both of their faces. He wanted to have fun in the pile, too! Hank spluttered, while Connor laughed, and Sumo whined and panted happily.

Yeah, things were  definitely looking up for Hank.


	2. Day 2--Unconscious (reed900)

_ What a fuckin’ asshole! _

Gavin huffed, as he chased after the suspected through the alleyway. Not how he wanted to end this day, but alas so was the life of a police detective. Though it wouldn’t have been so bad, if it wasn’t raining. Autumn had arrived, making the weather nice and chilly. Gavin loved it. ...He didn’t love it, however, when it decided to rain on a cold night, while chasing down an asshole perp.

Him and Richard had split up, in an attempt to block him in. Gavin couldn’t tell if the guy was an android or not, and he didn’t get the chance to ask Richard about it. He ran like an android, though, keeping far ahead of Gavin, as he chased after him. The alleyways were slippery, with rain and debris, and more than once, Gavin found himself stumbling or slipping, wildly cursing the entire time. The rain was soaking him, making his clothes heavier, and his body cold. He was truly  gonna give this guy the what for, before locking him up and dragging Richard back home, so he could help him warm up.

They...had an odd relationship, him and Richard. Gavin wasn’t sure how to describe it. At first, he absolutely  ** hated ** being paired up with the RK900 unit. Despised him. ...But yet, the android took none of his shit, and even dished it back towards him. Gavin found that commendable...and a bit of a turn on. Especially with the way Richard had pinned him to his desk, within minutes of meeting him, all because of Gavin’s smart mouth.

Still, it took  awhile before things were really comfortable between them. Maybe...Maybe too comfortable? Gavin didn’t feel any regret, though, when the two got physically intimate. Sure, the sex could be rough, but that was because Gavin asked for it. Despite that, though, afterwards, Richard’s gentle touches just made him melt. He found himself craving that gentle touch, not caring that it was from an android.

He wanted, and craved it, because it came from Richard.

His past self would’ve hated him now.

Gavin realized, belatedly, that he had let his thoughts drift for too long. He didn’t hear the footsteps of the perp anymore. Had he lost him already? He swore loudly, as he skidded around the corner, nearly crashing and burning, as some wet leaves got under his feet. These alleyways were pretty straight-forward. He couldn’t have gone far. And, unless he had some Spiderman-like powers to scale the walls, he wasn’t up on the rooftops, either.

But just as he was about to radio Richard, he rounded another corner and found his guy.

And he had a decent sized piece of wood in his hands.

Gavin had no time to react, as the guy reared back, before swinging the piece of wood at his head. There was an explosion of pain on one side of his head, he heard the sound of wood splintering...

And then everything went dark.

Gavin hated coming to, from forced unconsciousness, whether it was waking up in a hospital, or being punched out by someone. The process was always a pain—both literally, and figuratively. He was aware of rain, first. Everything felt wet, and he still felt steady raindrops on his head, legs, and hands. Then there was pain all along the right side of his head. It was throbbing with his heartbeat, and he had to wonder if that was a bad sign.

Then a voice started trickling in, as his hearing slowly came back.

“... tive ...? Detect... eed...?”

Who was it?

“...vin? Gavin...?”

...Ah. He knew that voice.

Gavin let out a pained groan, head lolling slightly as he slowly opened his eyes. Everything swam in a sickly blur, and he squeezed them shut for a moment, not wanting to lose his stomach right now. When he felt it was safe, he slowly opened them back up. Richard lovely, but concerned face filled his vision, that yellow LED nearly blinding him.

“Good, you’re awake.” said Richard, unable to hide the relief in his voice, as a small smile tugged at his lips.

“Yeah... ‘m here, ‘m here...” mumbled Gavin, shifting to sit up a bit more, relaxing as Richard helped him. Now he was even more soaked than before. And he felt something trickling down the side of his head, where the pain was originating. He was bleeding, no doubt, “What happened...?”

“You found our perp first.” said Richard, watching Gavin cautiously, as he settled back down against the brick wall behind him, “Unfortunately, he caught you off guard, and knocked you unconscious. I came by, seconds later, and apprehended him. Backup is on the way, as well as medical. Thankfully, you were only out for a few minutes, but...”

Richard trailed off, his bright steel-blue eyes flicking over to where  blood was trickling down Gavin’s head. Gavin took this time to just simply...observe Richard. Yeah, he was perfect, but that’s because he was  _ made _ to be perfect. But his perfect hair was in slight disarray, no doubt from running through the alleyways to chase their guy. The rain made it look even...better. The messy look was good on Richard. The way the raindrops were trailing down his face, dripping off the tip of his nose...

“Fuck...”

Richard blinked, as Gavin raised a hand, and cupped it against his cheek, the hand moving up briefly to mess with his hair, before settling on his cheek once more. The RK900 unit found himself leaning into that touch.

“You’re fuckin’ gorgeous, when you’re caught in the rain, y’know that?”

Richard blinked at that, before smiling softly, raising his hand and placing it on top of Gavin’s, his synth-skin  receding slightly, “And I believe you may have a concussion, if you’re saying such things outside of your apartment.”

Gavin chuckled, still keeping his hand against Richard’s cheek. He was warm. Gavin was freezing, from running and being soaked with autumn rain. He could’ve  swore Richard’s face heated up just slightly, just enough to warm his hand back up. He felt himself melting at the heat, and was already imagining Richard holding him close in  bed, body nice and warm, as the chill from tonight slowly started to leave his body...

The nice daydream ended, when Richard’s other hand moved up, and plucked a splinter out of the side of Gavin’s face.

“OW!”

“Sorry, it was distracting.” said Richard, dead-pan, though a smile still remained on his lips.

“You’re distracting.” huffed Gavin, recalling his thoughts wandering earlier, before the perp slammed a piece of wood into his head.

“Oh, I’m so terribly sorry...” said Richard dramatically, making Gavin laugh hard enough to make his head hurt a little more. It didn’t take long for sirens and flashing lights to arrive, meaning he’d have to be pulled away from Richard.

But that was okay. It’d only be for a moment.

Because tonight, Richard was all his. And he was all Richard’s.


	3. Day 3--Hypothermia (Hankcon-Reverse AU)

“Stop! Detroit Police!”

Of  _ course _ , they’d have to chase a suspect on a cold, autumn night.

Of  _ course _ , _ _ they’d have to chase him, on a night where frost warnings were put up, it was so cold.

And, naturally, of  _ course _ the suspect was going to be difficult.

Connor growled under his breath, as he booked it towards the guy. Hank took a different street, predicting that the guy was going to be crossing over the bridge ahead. He’d stop him at the other side, once they got there. A nice pincher, or whatever move.

Connor just hoped the HK800’s units prediction came out right. Because humans, as he was quickly learning, were highly unpredictable.

“Stop! Bastard...” Connor huffed out the swear, skidding around the corner, as the guy continued running ahead of him. Connor was still young, true, but the cold air was burning his lungs. Smoking didn’t help that, either. And years of depending on the bottle, and depressive episodes made sure that he wasn’t quite in tip-top shape. Thanks to Hank becoming his partner, he was getting slightly better. Just slightly. But hey, any improvement was good.

Any night that he wasn’t staring at the pistol in his hand at the kitchen table, was always a good night.

True to Hank’s word, the suspect started to cross the bridge. But even he seemed to be wearing out. Good. But Hank was nowhere in sight. Where was he? There wasn’t two of them, was there? He wasn’t ambushed? Though Connor couldn’t help but feel a little proud, that he managed to outrun an android.

But that moment was quickly gone, as the moment he caught up with the suspect, he rounded on him, fists raised.

This guy wasn’t going down without a fight.

And up close, Connor realized that this guy was  ** huge ** . Almost Hank-huge, but not quite.

Limbs burning, and lungs aching, Connor faced off with him. He ducked the first punch, and tried to tackle the guy down, slamming his shoulder into the guy’s gut, but the guy barely buckled. A soft ‘ oof ’ left him, and he slammed an elbow down on Connor’s back in retaliation. Connor hissed at the blow, backing off slightly, and barely blocking another punch sent his way. Suddenly on the defense, Connor backed up, blocking bunch after punch (his arms were going to be  _ so _ bruised tomorrow) until he felt his legs hit the railing of the bridge. 

He barely caught the guy’s grin in the streetlights, before he grabbed a handful of Connor’s  shirt , and lifted him off of his feet.

Connor had no time to react, clawing at the guy’s arm, as he hung him over the bridge.

“Put the Lieutenant down!”

Both Connor and the suspect looked over at the voice, and Connor just managed to catch Hank’s eye...before the suspect let go of him. By tossing him off of the bridge.

Connor flailed, he heard Hank yell...something, before he hit the water.

Connor could swim, there was no problem with that. And the bridge wasn’t too far above the water, where the fall would be deadly. ...But what Connor  _ didn’t _ expect, was how fucking cold the water was going to be. Disoriented from the fall, Connor struggled to the surface, taking in a grateful breath, though that one really stung his lungs. He was grateful that the ravine wasn’t too deep—just deep enough where he couldn’t quite touch the bottom. And, at least today, the current wasn’t too strong. It still pulled him further  downstream , until he was able to finally swim over to shore, limbs screaming at him to stop moving.

The moment he tried to climb out of the water, he realized something was wrong.

He was soaked in cold water. The already cold air around him was stinging his skin, and the wind had started to pick up. He was already shivering, before he got himself completely out of the water. The wind truly wasn’t helping, and a strong gust had him shivering so hard, he just had to lay there on the ground for a moment, trembling until the wind died down.

Oh, this wasn’t good at all.

And where was Hank?

Knowing things would just get worse if he laid here, Connor struggled to his feet. He grimaced, feeling his wet socks squelch in his shoes. His coat felt ten times heavier, completely soaked with water. His fingertips were already starting to feel numb. He swore colorfully through chattering teeth, as he climbed up the shore, towards some trees. If he could make it to the road, or a street, he could make his way back to Hank, easily enough...

He never made it that far.

The cold was seeping into him quicker than he could combat it, and his trembling limbs wouldn’t let him go any further. Finding a tree, Connor let himself collapse at the base of it, curling up into the tightest ball he could. He could’ve sworn he heard thin layers of ice start to break off of his cold, wet clothes. The wind was picking up, and dread settled into the pit of his stomach. If he didn’t get somewhere warm soon, and get into a change of clothes...he was going to be in trouble.

Like, life-threatening trouble.

“F-F-Figures...” he muttered to himself, curling up again, trying to stay as small as possible, so the wind wouldn’t affect him so much. His ears were starting to burn from the cold, “Start...Start t’...do good...a-and...and I’m gonna...f--freeze t-to death...”

Connor didn’t know how long he was laying there. The cold was affecting his head now, and he couldn’t tell if he was fading in and out of consciousness, or if he was actually dying. All that mattered, was just staying small, and shivering. He felt his muscles start to hurt, from shivering so much. A tiny voice told him he couldn’t fall asleep, that that would spell ‘D-E-A-T-H' for him, but God, he was so tired. So tired of being cold, so tired of shivering...

“Connor!”

Connor blinked his eyes open. When had he closed them? The voice was...tinny. Like it was far away. Was he imagining it? He then felt strong hands lift him upright, letting him lean against the tree. The movement hurt, and he let out a soft, pained noise. His eyes must’ve drifted closed again, because soon there was a hand—a very warm, large hand—patting at his cheek, gently.

“Stay with me, Lieutenant...”

Ahh, he knew that voice. It was closer, but still sounded a bit funny.

Opening his eyes, Connor stared wearily at the HK800 unit in front of him. The normally calm blue LED was now flickering between yellow and red, and in Connor’s swimming vision, it...looked rather pretty. Eventually, he found the strength to look away from it, and focus on Hank as a whole. That handsome face looked rather worried. He must’ve been in poor shape, if he was that worried, and his LED was a fuckin’ lightshow.

“Cold...” he managed to get out, trying to move his stiff limbs, so he could wrap his arms around himself. The wind was still going strong, and was doing nothing for how cold his face, head, hands...hell, his whole body, felt.

“Hypothermia is going to set in soon, if we don’t get you somewhere warm.” said Hank and, before Connor knew it, he was being lifted up into those strong arms, being held close against Hank’s chest. Again, the movement hurt, and he must’ve let out another pained noise, as Hank let out a hushed apology above him. He thought he heard something in Hank hum, or purr, because suddenly his body became so warm. Nothing burning hot, but just warm enough to where Connor let himself melt against his android partner, eyes fluttering closed.

“Stay awake, Connor.” said Hank, and Connor felt him start to move, “I need you to stay awake.”

“Dun... wanna ...” mumbled Connor, though he did try to keep his eyes open, for Hank’s sake. But God, it was hard. It was fucking hard. He was feeling miserable and cold, and Hank’s body was nice and warm and it sounded like he was fucking  _ purring _ and he just wanted to sleep to that noise.

“Your health depends on it. We’re going to head home, okay? Backup came shortly after you fell off the bridge, and the perp is with them. He’ll be charged with...”

Connor tried to listen, tried to focus on Hank’s voice as they headed towards the car, but staying awake was harder than it seemed. He tried to listen to what the guy was being charged for (no doubt, he was charged with assaulting and officer, and tossing him off a bridge and making him freeze to death), but the next thing he knew, there was the sound of a car door opening, and he was being gently seated in the passenger seat. Away from Hank’s warm body.

He somehow managed to get his fingers to work, and tried to cling to him. He must’ve made a noise, because Hank quietly shushed him, large, warm fingers gently working at his to pry him away.

“I need to drive. I’ll turn on the heat, as soon as I get in.”

It didn’t take much to have Connor’s fingers pried away from his uniform, before Hank stood up. In what seemed like record time, he was already in the driver’s seat, turning on the ignition. Once the car purred to life, he quickly set the heat on as high as it could go. And sure, Connor’s car was old and dinged up, but at least it had a working heater. And right now, he was grateful for that, more than anything.

“You still need to stay awake, Lieutenant.” said Hank, shrugging his jacket off, and draping it over Connor’s prone form, before reaching over and buckling him in. Safety first, “Don’t go dozing off on me. You need to stay awake, do you hear me?”

“Loud...Loud n’ clear...” slurred out Connor, snuggling into Hank’s jacket. It was still warm. And it smelled of him. He was barely aware of the car moving, as Hank practically sped out onto the road, and towards home.

Home...

God, it was home now, wasn’t it?

For the longest time, Connor’s house just...didn’t feel like home. He came back to it at the end of his shifts, ordered take out or made microwave dinners, showered, fed Sumo, and passed out blackout drunk in bed, or on the couch. Or floor. Rinse and repeat. But...now that Hank had come into his life, first as his work partner, and now as his  _ partner _ partner , home was...more homely. It was cleaned up, and wasn’t as stuffy. The fridge was actually full of actual food. There wasn’t as much alcohol around. It was actually home, for once. A home where he was proud to invite his brother over for dinner. And him and Hank had actually  begun on some yardwork, before the weather started getting colder.

...Yeah, with Hank now in his life, home was home.

Hank was his home.

Connor realized he must’ve finally given up on staying awake. The hum of the car, and Hank’s voice telling him to stay awake, faded away. Darkness took over, but it wasn’t...a bad darkness. Connor wasn’t sure how to describe it. It didn’t feel like he was going to die, though. He knew what that felt like. And he didn’t want to do that again.

He became aware of warmth, first. Full, encompassing warmth. Then he felt dry. His wet clothes were gone, and he was in...something. He was too tired to really figure out what clothes he had on now. And then he became aware of that same purring sound. That same one that he heard, when he was in Hank’s arms.

Connor slowly opened his eyes.

Everything swam for a few moments, but after a few blinks, things came into focus. He was in his room. He knew that much. But he couldn’t really see much...and he realized, belatedly, it was because he was up against Hank’s chest. Rather, Hank’s arms were so tight around him, that he was being squished into his chest. A soft, giddy chuckle bubbled out from him, as he nuzzled into his chest, into those wonderful pecs. He almost—almost—brought his hands up to touch and squeeze them, but Hank soon pulled back slightly, looking down at him with such relief, it almost broke Connor’s heart.

“Thank fuck, you’re awake...” he swore, though there was no bite to his words. His LED was yellow, but he didn’t look nearly as worried, “I told you not to fall asleep. If we weren’t so close to home, at that point, you could’ve...”

“But I’m fine...” said Connor, voice soft and sleepy. He then realized that they were in bed together, under the covers. No wonder he felt so nice and comfy, “Sore as all hell, but I don’t feel like death... Still a bit chilly...”

Hank shifted slightly, wrapping his arms around Connor as he shuffled in close, resting his forehead against his. Those long silvery locks draped over his face, and Connor wished he could move without pain, so he could brush them away. That purring noise came back, and he felt Hank heat up even more. He sighed, as he melted into him. But just before he was going to doze off, he had to say something.

“...Thank you, Hank...”

“ Y’re ...welcome, hun’y bee...”

...What?

Connor glanced up at him slightly. Had...Hank just slurred? He almost sounded drunk, with how his voice did a little sing-song  there. Though the nickname did make his face feel warming, due to blushing.

“...Hank?”

“Mm?”

“You okay?”

It took Hank a moment, before responding, the purring continuing as he nuzzled against him, like an oversized cat.

“Systems.... Syst’ms o’erheatin ’...Not...dangerous... coolin ’ off s. ..soon - ish ... Gotta ...keep  m’Connor warm...toasty warm...”

Well, someone was loopy.

Connor chuckled, willing his arm to move, as he reached up and tugged playfully at Hank’s hair, before laying his hand on his cheek. He briefly wondered if androids could get drunk now. A drunk Hank sounded...rather adorable.

“Thank you, Hank...” he said again, as he closed his eyes. He let his thumb stroke over Hank’s cheekbone, and he saw something glow behind closed eyelids. His skin receding, no doubt. The purring was just  staring to taper off, as Hank slowly started to cool down, as Connor let himself finally fall asleep.

Safe in the arms of the one that made his home, a home.


	4. Day 4--Abandoned [House] (both)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Some robot/android gore is in this chapter, so please be warned!
> 
> Also the original prompt was 'Abandoned', but decided to make it spooky and added 'House' onto it.

It was almost ironic, being sent to investigate an abandoned house. Halloween was weeks away, and the place absolutely looked the part of a haunted house. DPD had gotten word that there were a few individuals reported to have been using the place as a spot to sell Red Ice, and possibly even make it. Hank, Connor, Richard and Gavin were sent to investigate. The house was a decent size, though with Red Ice in the mix, it was best to have some extra hands on deck.

Just in case.

“Fuck,  ain’t this spooky...” swore Gavin, as they walked up to the house, “Like something out of a horror movie...”

“If you’re scared, you’re free to go back to the cars.” said Hank simply, “No one’s  gonna rat on you for being chickenshit.”

“Fuck you, old man! I’m not scared of some shitty house!”

“Then why don’t you go first?”

“Why don’t  ** you ** go first, huh?”

Richard sighed, as he and Connor stepped between the two of them, walking up onto the porch first, “If we’re here to investigate, it’s probably best if we keep it down. If there’s someone here, we don’t want to alert them, do we?”

The two humans quieted down after that, but didn’t stop giving glares to one another, as they followed their android partners into the house.

Though Gavin did have a point—the house did look like something out of a horror movie, inside.

The walls were barely standing, wallpaper peeling off of the walls. Windows were completely gone or broken, and doors were off hinges. It smelled musty and old, and even rotten. The androids did a quick scan, and told their respective humans that the air, while musty, was safe to breathe in. Not for a prolonged period of time, though. They’d have to keep it short, or at least move into a more ventilated room.

Which, given the state of the house, shouldn’t be much of a problem.

“We’ll start upstairs, and then make our way down.” said Gavin, already going for the stairs, “There’s probably a basement too, right? One party starts below, the other from on top. And then--”

He had only taken a few steps up, before Richard rushed forward, yanking Gavin back, nearly throwing him down the stairs...as something swung from the floor above, and right into the RK900 unit’s face.

“Richard!”

“I’m all right.” said Richard, stepping back, before turning around. Not only was there what looked like a knife, or shiv, at eye level...but Richard was bleeding slightly, right between his own eyes.

“Like shit you are, you’re bleeding!” said Gavin, coming forward, hands outstretched, but stilled as if not knowing what exactly to do with them, “Fuck, how deep is it?”

“It’s just a scratch.” said Richard, wiping the droplets away with his thumb, “Had I been closer, it would’ve been more  catastrophic .”

“But if there’s a trap here...” started Connor, moving up next to Richard to investigate it further, “...There might be other traps inside of this house, as well.”

“A booby-trapped drug house...” sighed Hank, “Wonderful. Just wonderful. This place really is like out of a goddamn horror movie.”

“But I do agree with Detective Reed’s suggestion.” continued Connor, as he and Richard moved back to the bottom of the stairs, “It would be best to split up, and investigate the house in teams. One on top, and the other on the bottom.”

“I’m not  gonna be on the bottom.” mumbled Gavin, with a knowing grin. Which was quickly erased as Richard discreetly stepped on his foot. Connor overheard, cracking a bit of a grin. But before Gavin could react to that...

There was movement.

All four heads swiveled up, hearing something moving upstairs. The android’s yellow LEDs lit up the foyer, as the humans slowly drew their weapons. Connor looked around for a moment, before nodding down the hall.

“There’s another set of stairs down that way.” he said, voice hushed, “The Lieutenant and I will take that route. Richard and Detective Reed shall take these stairs. The trap is sprung on this one, they should be safe to use.”

Hearing the moving again, the pairs nodded, before splitting up. The androids of each pair moved ahead of their human partners, Connor and Hank going down the hall to the other staircase, while Gavin and Richard went up the main one. The humans didn’t like using their androids as living shields...but the androids did say a good point.

If any traps hurt them, they were easier to repair than a human would be.

Hopefully that would be the only trap...

It didn’t take long for Hank and Connor to reach the stairs near the back of the house. After scanning to make sure nothing was going to swing in their faces, they started upwards; Connor ahead, and Hank behind him, weapon drawn.

“Damn, these stairs are tiny...” he huffed, one hand on the railing, “This must be an older house, then. One of those ‘servant’ staircases, or something like that.”

“You’d be correct.” said Connor, LED flickering yellow briefly, before flipping back to blue, “This house, while it has been remodeled over the years, does still retain the extra set of staircases meant for live-in servants. ”

Hank hummed curiously, as he took another step up, hearing the wood creak beneath his feet. He had quite a lot of bad feelings about this staircase. Not only was it tiny and rather claustrophobic, but it honestly felt like the wood was going to give out from underneath of him.

“My fat ass is  gonna break through these stairs...”

“Nonsense, Hank.” Connor glanced over his shoulder at him, smiling, “These stairs will hold us. And besides, your weight is absolutely fine.” That damning wink had Hank’s face flush a dark red.

He found it a bit odd, at first, that Connor rather liked how heavy he was. He liked Hank laying on top of him, some way or another. He said that the pressure was comforting, or something like that. The first time Hank had accidentally collapsed on top of him, after sex, he had been worried that he might’ve broken something. But Connor just pulled him back in, and had him lay on top of him, until they both fell asleep.

Then there was the ‘feeder nights’ they participated in every so often, but that was for another time.

Connor took one more step up, and the step underneath of him let out a loud groan, before his leg completely went through the wood, causing him to buckle out of surprise, one hand reaching out for the railing, and the other reaching out for Hank, who was there instantly with a loud swear, one arm wrapped around his smaller frame.

“Shit! Connor, are you all right?”

The android’s LED was yellow, but he seemed more surprised, than anything.

“I’m fine, Hank. I just fell through, and--” He shifted slightly, as if to stand up, before completely freezing. His LED went red, as another noise joined in. It wasn’t groaning wood, or shuffling of footsteps. Instead, to Hank, it sounded like the soft twanging of metal wire...

“Connor--”

“Something’s wrapped around my leg, Hank.”

Another goddamn trap.

“Fuck...anyway we can cut it away?” asked Hank, trying to peer around Connor to get a look at what had him. But the hole was just big enough for Connor’s leg to go through. He couldn’t see shit.

“I’m afraid, if you reach down there, they might wrap around your arm.” said Connor, LED flickering between yellow and red, as he was formulating a plan, “...Hank, hold onto me. I’m going to try something.”

“Just be careful, Con...” said Hank, holstering his weapon, before wrapping both arms around Connor. Connor let himself enjoy being held like that for a moment, before reaching out with both arms to the railings on either side of them.

As soon as he started to pull up, there was the sound of gears furiously working, followed by the crunching and sickening sound of  _ something _ slicing through fabric and plastic.

Connor practically fell against Hank, who had to let go of him with one arm, to hold onto the railing, before they both fell down the stairs. Hank saw that Connor’s leg had finally been pulled free...

Only because there was only a bloody stump where his leg should’ve been.

Connor’s red LED is lighting up the stairway, face scrunched into a grimace. He had explained to Hank awhile back that androids couldn’t feel pain, at least not the same way that humans did. They could feel discomfort, though. And, no doubt, losing a leg was causing him a great amount of discomfort. Especially with all the blood that was coming out of it.

“Fuck!  ** Fuck ** ! Connor!”

Hank could practically feel his heart pounding in his throat, as he looked at the missing leg. He pulled Connor against him, his free hand reaching out to try and press against the stump, to stop some of the bleeding. Removing his coat would’ve been better, but he didn’t want to let go of Connor, “Shit! Hang in there, Con! Trap took off your fuckin’ leg...fuck!” And it wasn’t like they had a spare in the car, at all. They had some thirium, which he’d need for sure, but not another leg.

“Hank...”

Hank looked over at Connor, surprised to find him rather calm, just smiling at him. His LED had calmed down to yellow, so that was a bit better. A hand reached up, and cupped at Hank’s cheek, fingers gently scratching at his beard. Despite everything, Hank felt himself relax a bit, though his heart still felt like it was going to pound out of his chest, like a damn Chestburster...

“I’m fine.” continued Connor, once he felt Hank had calmed down enough, “I’m a bit low on  thirium now, but I’ve shut down the leg, so no more  thirium will be lost. I’ll need Richard’s help with disconnecting the part completely, but I’m in no immediate danger. However...”

His gaze moved up to the top of the staircase. They hadn’t even made it halfway up, before the trap had been sprung.

“...Going up further is extremely risky, and dangerous. I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Duly noted.” said Hank, shifting Connor slightly so that he could help him stand up, letting him stand on his remaining leg, while leaning against Hank for support, “Let’s get back to the foyer. Contact Richard, and have him and Gavin meet us back there. We might need to de-trap this house, before we investigate it further.”

Connor nodded his agreement, as he clung to Hank. His remaining leg was working fine, but it was still rather unbalancing, only having a stump of a leg on the other. Hank was holding him steady, though, making sure he wouldn’t fall over, even as they slowly made their way back down the stairs.

Hopefully Richard and Gavin didn’t run across any more traps...

“I swear to God, if that was a squirrel we heard, I’m claiming war on all of squirrel-kind.”

Gavin huffed, as he and Richard slowly started down the hall, once they reached the top of the stairs. The floor groaned underneath of them, but didn’t feel like it was going to give way. Though there were a few spots actually missing in the floor. They gave those spots a wide  berth, in case they wouldn’t hold their weight. 

Richard glanced over at Gavin, giving him a quick scan. Unlike most missions, Gavin was actually quite on edge. His heartrate was elevated, and he was perspiring slightly. Perhaps he was afraid of this place? Or perhaps he was afraid of what traps they might encounter? But Richard knew better than to call out on Gavin’s fear. Even if it was just the two of them, it’d be a blow to his ego, for sure.

Humans and their egos. Honestly...

“There’s not much to cover up here.” said Richard, looking around, “A  handful of rooms, and a single hallway connecting them.”

“So if the old man, and shitty  tincan come from the other side, we got whoever’s up here pinned...” said Gavin, grinning.

“Please be polite...” sighed Richard, shaking his head at the nicknames, “It wouldn’t kill you to address them by their names.”

“As if they do the same for me--” started Gavin, before both stopped, hearing a noise on the other side of the door they had just stopped in front of. Richard’s LED went yellow, as Gavin slowly crept forward, placing his ear against the door. There was...some movement, but it was hard to tell if it was something living, or perhaps something blowing in the wind.

“I’m  gonna get him by surprise.” said Gavin in a whisper, as he backed up away from the door, standing as he got ready to kick it down.

“Gavin, don’t--” Richard started, but Gavin cut him off with a impatient wave of his hand.

“I got ‘im, I got ‘im! Just stand back...” he said, waiting a moment, hearing another sound of movement, before he rushed forward and kicked the door open, nearly knocking it off of its hinges, with how old it was, “Got you, you motherfu--!!”

The rest of the words were choked out of him, as Richard grabbed his hood from behind, and shoved Gavin behind him, knocking him to his knees. Before he could get his breath back, and question the android, there was the sound of something being air compressed...and several metal rods being shot out from the room, embedding themselves into the wall behind them.

“Fuck!”

Just as quickly as it started, it ended. Gavin quickly got to his feet, glad to see that one hadn’t pierced through Richard’s chest or head, but one had embedded itself right through his right bicep. The sleeve of his pristine white coat was quickly turning a dark shade of blue.

Another fucking trap.

“Shit, your arm--” started Gavin, hovering around it. He knew better than to just simply pull it out. But...maybe that would be okay for androids? Still, he didn’t want to hurt Richard, and no doubt this fucking hurt. But the arm just hung there, as if it was just simply...off.

“I’ve disconnected the flow of  thirium to that limb, so blood loss isn’t a problem.” explained Richard, turning his head to look at the damage, “I’ve also cut off power to it, so it won’t get any more damage. I advise not removing the rod, until we can get to somewhere for repairs.”

“Shit, still looks seri...” Gavin trailed off, glancing up at Richard once, before doing a double take, and stumbling back a bit in shock.

One of the rods had gotten extremely close to Richard’s face, nearly taking out his left eye. The rod had then scraped along the side of his head, causing quite the gash, with bubbled forth with blue blood. His left eye was discolored, and glowing oddly, and the area around the gasp couldn’t have the synth-skin cover over it, so it was just the destroyed white chassis around that area.

“Your face...” said Gavin weakly. Richard raised up his working hand and gingerly touched the damaged area, pulling it back to look at the blood coating his fingertips. Gavin was almost mad that Richard seemed so  _ calm _ , despite having such an injury.

“It’s fine, Gavin.” he said, voice calm and soft as if to placate him, “It’s mostly surface damage. My optical unit might need some repairs, or to be replaced completely. But I’m in no danger of shutting down. And I don’t feel pain, so...”

“Like shit, you’re fine.” huffed Gavin, shrugging out of his jacket. Before Richard could ask  what he was doing, Gavin reached out, grabbing a fistful of Richard’s jacket, making him bend forward a little so he could press his balled-up jacket against the bleeding wound on his face, his other hand reaching up and cupping at Richard’s cheek, “You’re hurt. And. ..it’s my stupid fault. If I hadn’t...If I hadn’t kicked down that door, then you wouldn’t have gotten shot full of holes...”

Gavin’s expression softened. Richard normally loved it when Gavin’s tough façade broke down, but this was something different. The guilt was eating at him. Richard felt his own expression soften, as he reached up with his free hand, gently stroking Gavin’s cheek. He relaxed into it with a shuddering sigh, and the hands on his face and jacket tightened just slightly.

“Look at me, Gavin.” said Richard, voice soft. Once  Gavin’s gaze was on him, he continued, “I’m alright. I’m alive. Things happen. And I can easily be repaired, within a few hours. I won’t have to stay overnight, and be away from you.”

“... So after we get you  repaired , I can drag your ass home, and hold you tight and mother hen you?” asked Gavin, almost looking hopeful.

Richard couldn’t help but chuckle, “You can do whatever you want to me, Gavin. I’m always, and forever, yours.”

He moved closer, gently pressing his lips against Gavin’s, and he felt the human relaxed with a shuddering sigh, through his nose. But before the moment could continue, Richard’s LED blipped suddenly and he stood up, rather  abruptly , nearly dislodging Gavin’s hands.

“Wh. ..What is it?” asked Gavin breathlessly, still keeping his jacket on the side of Richard’s head, to stem the bleeding. Though he probably had already stopped it, by now.

“A distress call from Connor.” said Richard, before looking over at Gavin, “They fell into another trap, as well. We’re needed in the foyer.”

“Shit...”

The house was just full of traps, wasn’t it? Though before they started moving, Gavin tugged on Richard’s jacket, “Your eye. Can you see out of it?”

Richard shook his head, “My optical unit is too damaged to see properly. I’ve shut it off, so it doesn’t disorient me.”

Gavin nodded, before moving onto Richard’s left side, “I’ll be your vision, then. I’m right here, though, okay?”

He felt Gavin thread his hand into his, and squeeze it gently. He didn’t need vision on that side to know that Gavin’s face was probably a lovely shade of red. Richard smiled, squeezing Gavin’s hand in return, before they headed back downstairs.

“What the fuck?!”

Upon coming downstairs, Gavin had expected Hank to be injured...but instead, it was Connor. And he didn’t expect him to be there, without a fucking leg. Even Hank was covered in blue blood, no doubt from helping Connor down the stairs, and holding his hand against the stump, to prevent more bleeding.

And Hank didn’t expect a big gash on Richard’s face, nor having a metal rod still sticking out of his arm.

“Richard...”

The RK900 unit left Gavin’s side briefly, as he went over to Connor, who was sitting up against the wall. After a brief interface, that caused the area to light up briefly, Richard was already tugging down Connor’s pants slightly. Hank stepped forward, almost protesting. After all, Connor had gotten those genital upgrades. He needed to be covered, now.

But a dismissive wave from Connor silenced him.

Both humans watched, as Richard let his hand trail along Connor’s hip, skin  receding from both his hand, and the area he was touching, before finding something. He pressed down slightly, and there was a soft click. Moving his pants down a little further, with Connor covering himself up the best he could (while he still didn’t feel the same shame humans did, while naked, he did want Hank to be the only one to see his ‘parts’), Richard took hold of the remainder of the leg, and disconnected it from Connor’s body, setting it aside before helping his ‘brother’ pull his pants back up.

“We can discard that part.” said Connor, once his pants were rightfully on again, “It’s too damaged to repair.”

“Well, we’re not leaving it here.” said Hank, going over and picking it up, “Not  gonna give those druggies free blue blood to make more red ice out of.” The part was still dripping thirium, though no longer at a steady pace.

“All in favor of getting the fuck  outta here, and getting our buddies repaired?” asked Gavin, raising his hand, “We’ll worry about reports later, I  ain’t stepping foot in here, until it’s fucking clean.”

“Hear, hear.” said Hank, nodding.

After helping getting Connor on his feet, the group left the abandoned house behind, eager to have their loved ones repaired and back home safely. A report could wait, until later.

The next day, the house was gone. Destroyed in a fire that mysteriously sparked early that morning...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three guesses to what inspired the traps in this oneshot!


	5. Day 5--Shackled (reed900-Reverse AU)

GV200 hated being deviant right now.

Normally, he didn’t mind it. He liked being able to make his own decisions, and feel things, and not listening to every order directed his way. It was rather satisfying to say ‘fuck you’ to any order he didn’t like. He was a free android. Still working with the DPD, and Detective Richard Stern, but he was still free. And he absolutely loved being free.

Except for now.

Because with deviation, came emotions. And with emotions, came fear.

Gavin was quickly learning that he hated feeling fear.

Approximately two days ago, Richard had been taken from his apartment, and gone missing. There were signs of an obvious struggle in the apartment, but at least Luci-fur—Richard's Sphinx cat—was all right. Spooked, but she hadn’t been injured. But the blood stains that were in the apartment matched Richard’s. He was just simply...gone.

Gavin felt guilt, along with fear. And he was quickly not liking that, either. Two days ago, he had to go in for routine maintenance. Simple thing, really. He was just kept overnight, while some techs made sure he was running fine. Routine thing, but annoying, really. Gavin had gone through it before, both as a machine and deviant. But that night, he shouldn’t have gone. If he hadn’t gone, maybe Richard would still be here, and not be missing...

Gavin worked frantically, to try and find Richard. The two of them had worked on enough missing persons cases, that Gavin knew what could happen, if they didn’t find him soon. He could be a complete, beaten mess. He could be used in some sick, twisted games. He could be having his parts sold to the human black market.

Worst of all, he could be dead.

Dead...

Gavin didn’t want Richard to die. Humans were fragile. Unlike androids, they couldn’t come back, if they were killed. They couldn’t just...be placed into a new body. Once they were dead, it was game over. The two of them had been through some close calls—both human and android knew the kiss of death. Neither of them liked it. They both wanted to stay alive. For each other.

If Richard was found dead, Gavin would have nobody.

Richard was the first person he came to love. And to actually understand love. They both were  kinda messes in that department, but they did take comfort in one another. They were partners, in more than just work. And Gavin...loved that. To imagine a life without Richard? It was too painful. It was too painful to think of finding him lifeless, to bury him into the ground, and to be staring at a headstone with his name on it—

The first time those thoughts took hold, HK800—Hank—actually had to force his systems to shut down, as his stress levels were raising to dangerous levels, and there was nothing to get them down. Connor, who had been nearby, likened the ‘attack’ to a human panic attack.

Something else that came with  deviating , apparently.

Fear was something Gavin never felt before. Sure, he felt startled, and lightly frightened from time to time...but nothing like this. This sort of emotion just completely took hold of him, flooding his systems with illogical dread. He couldn’t move, couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Limbs  trembled, his voice died in his throat. Fear seized him in the chest, and felt like someone was yanking out his  thirium pump. He didn’t like feeling fear. And he hoped that they’d find Richard soon...

Finally, after what seemed like a mountain of dead ends, they had a lead. There was an abandoned warehouse by the docks that had some suspicious activity near it. While he was advised to stay back, seeing as how he had a personal involvement in the case, Gavin gave the usual ’fuck you’ and made it very clear that he was going.

He wanted to see Richard.

He had to see, with his own two eyes, if Richard was alive...or dead.

But Gavin wasn’t stupid. As much as he wanted to rush in there, and tear through the warehouse to find Richard, he knew that’d attract unwanted attention, blow their cover, and probably get Richard killed. No, he’d have to be patient. Move quietly, tread softly. Thank rA9 he was a lightweight model. This made sneaking around a lot easier.

They split off into groups to cover the warehouse better. As soon as they did, Gavin found himself standing in front of a door. Gut feeling wasn’t something androids had. For one, they didn’t have guts. Just wires and tubes. But...Gavin couldn’t shake the feeling that something was behind this one door. Android logic stated that he was being foolish, and wasting processing power thinking about this.

He gave a big ol’ ‘fuck you’ to his own systems, before taking hold of the door and yanking it open.

And inside, was Richard.

He was alive, as he weakly raised his head, squinting at the lights being shone on him. He was in the middle of the room, shackled up to a pole, arms above his head. His feet were just barely on the ground, just enough to help him relieve some pressure. One eye was practically swollen shut, and he had a decent  amount of bruises and cuts on his face. It was hard to tell, with him wearing dark clothes and all, but no doubt there were more injuries to be had.

Gavin couldn’t even get words to come out, as he practically jogged right up to Richard, red LED lighting up the room, as the other cops trailed in behind him, searching the room with their flashlights to make sure it was clear. But Gavin didn’t care about that right now. Right now, he was completely focused on the man in front of him.

“Took...Took you long enough...” said Richard softly, voice sounding a little hoarse and dry. But despite it all, a small smile came to his dry and cracked lips. Gavin couldn’t take it anymore. Something tight seized his chest, and he rushed forward.

Hugging Richard tightly.

He only had a few seconds of being close to him, before Richard let out a pained noise above him. Gavin practically leapt back, before moving in again, doing a quick scan. Apparently, the guys that captured Richard had used him as quite the punching bag. Bruises littered his chest and abdomen, and two ribs were damaged. One was fully broken. 

“Shit, you’re a mess...” said Gavin, voice sounding a little tight, before he cleared his throat; and unnecessary action, given he was an android, “You’re...covered in bruises, dammit. I’m almost afraid to touch you. A-And your ribs are a wreck, you’ve got one broken, dumbass. I want to—need to—take care of you, but I’m not sure where to even start! You’re hurt all over, and...”

Richard let the rest of Gavin’s nervous babble trail away, as he just simply watched him. Yes, he was hurting all over, and he was very relieved rescue came quickly. But right now, he was just focusing on Gavin. His LED had yet to change from red. And as he gestured with his hands, Richard could see that his fingers were trembling. He bet that, if he touched Gavin’s chest, his ‘heart’ would be racing so fast. He was honestly worried—and scared—for him.

It was very...touching. Richard couldn’t help but grow warm, over Gavin’s fretting.

“Richard?”

He blinked out of his reverie, as gentle gloved hands cupped his cheeks. Gavin is looking at him, worried. He’s even biting at his bottom lip. Richard found that oh so adorable.

“Are you okay? You drifted on me a bit, there.” continued Gavin, trembling thumbs stroking so very carefully at Richard’s bruised and cut cheeks, “Please, stay with me. I’m here now, okay? I’m here. We’ll go home, a-and I’ll be there to take care of your sorry ass. Just...I’m here, okay?”

Richard wasn’t sure if the words were meant to comfort himself, or Gavin...

“I’m here.” said Richard, practically whispering, as he gently nuzzled into Gavin’s hands, “I’m alive. I’ll be all right.”

Gavin smiled softly, and stood on tiptoes...to place a gentle, sweet kiss on Richard’s lips. He quirked an eyebrow, as he felt Gavin’s tongue dart across his battered lips, but no doubt he was analyzing something. Maybe. Gavin settled back down, licking his lips, before looking up at the shackles that still bound Richard.

“Let’s get you out of these.” he said, looking around, and grabbing a nearby box, dragging it over, before stepping up on it. Though he was a light-weight model, he was still an android. He was much stronger than the average human. And the chains on the manacles weren’t too thick. He gripped them tightly, and with a firm yank, they broke apart. The manacles were still around Richard’s wrists, but they could deal with that, later.

He jumped off the box, as Richard finally settled on his feet. But just as he kicked the box aside, Richard all but collapsed, Gavin barely catching him, before he hit the floor.

“Sh-Shit, shit! Richard!? Richard, are you--?”

“I’m fine...” said Richard, voice slightly tense, as he clung onto Gavin, “My leg...think they got it badly. Can’t stand on it...”

Gavin wrapped his arms around Richard, before peering around him, doing another scan. Sure enough, his left leg was broken in two places. Gavin swore colorfully, as he adjusted his hold on Richard, trying to make it so they both didn’t fall. Yes, he was an android, but a light-weight model like him couldn’t carry all of Richard’s weight. It was at times like these, he wished he was built like Hank. Maybe he could take care of Richard better, if he was heavier built...

“...Gavin? Are you okay?”

“That’s my line,  ballsack .” huffed Gavin, before giving him and settling them both on the ground. He gently turned Richard’s body so that he was laying in his lap. Automatically, Gavin’s hands went to Richard’s hair, fingers gently (and carefully) stroking through it, “Just hang in there. The Bear and your brother are getting medical. You’ll be fine.”

It took Richard a moment to realize who ‘The Bear’ was (it was Gavin’s favorite nickname for the HK800 unit), before smiling. Slowly, and wincing slightly, he reached up, and cupped at Gavin’s cheek.

“...Thank you for saving me, my knight in shining armor.” he said, with a smile.

Gavin blushed a dark blue, and huffed, glancing away. Though his hand came to rest on top of Richard’s, keeping it on his cheek.

“Yeah, well...don’t make this a habit, meatsack.”

Richard chuckled softly, causing Gavin to smile, despite the blush.

Gavin went with Richard, as he was taken to the hospital. Like hell, he was leaving his side. Not after all of this. He was going to make absolutely sure that Richard was going to be all right. And once they got home, he was going to tend to his every whim, and just simply...take care of him. And hold him tight.

Gavin hoped to never feel fear like that again...


	6. Day 6--Fever (Hankcon)

The moment Hank opened his eyes, he knew he shouldn’t have even tried to wake up. Everything felt awful. His body felt too hot, but he was shivering. His muscled ached, like he’d gone swimming in a rough ocean. His mouth was awfully dry, and when he tried to swallow, his stomach churned unpleasantly.

As he laid there, he realized he’d already gotten out of bed once already. He’d gotten up with Connor, and slowly started his day. He felt off that morning, but nothing too terrible. Connor, of course, noticed right off the bat, but Hank waved him off. It was probably just the start of a cold. He’d finish up with work today, and get some medicine later.

But it didn’t get better. It got worse.

The moment they arrived at the station, Hank felt hot and cold at the same time, and his head felt like it was full of cotton. No amount of coffee could get rid of the sensation, and the coffee settled badly in his stomach. He managed to  will himself not to get sick, but the increasing fever nearly had him dozing off at his desk, head against the cool material.

Hank barely remembered Connor telling him that he was taking him home. That he had talked with Jeffery already about going home early. Hank...might’ve said something. He wasn’t sure. He was aware of being led outside, and to the car. And...And...

That was it.

Next thing he knew, he was waking up here, in bed. Again.

Hank sat up carefully, ignoring how everything swam for a moment. He was in different clothes, now. He was in a simple T-shirt and some boxer shorts. He wanted to grab the hoodie that was in the chair nearby, to stave off the chills wracking his body, but he was also aware of a thin sheen of sweat on his brow.

God, getting sick fucking sucked.

But as he sat up a little more, he realized something else. The house was too quiet. Not even the TV was on. Just the sound of the fall wind outside, blowing against someone’s wind chimes across the way. Normally, Hank would find the silence soothing, and relaxing...

But right now, it just made him nervous.

Where was Connor? Hell, where was Sumo, too? The mutt usually stayed glued to his side, when he was sick. Nothing about this was right. Had something happened, while he was in bed?

Panic took hold, over the fever, and Hank swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. The shift in position had everything tilting wildly in his vision, and he felt his stomach churn uncomfortably. He swallowed down the nausea and carefully staggered out of his room. Chills shot through his body again, and his legs nearly gave out from trembling so much.

“Con...C-Connor...?” Hank called out, or at least, tried to. He wasn’t sure if he was being loud enough to hear. But, with Connor’s super android hearing, he’d hear him either way. ...Right? “Con...? Where...Where are...?”

Hank managed to make it out into the hallway, but that’s as far as he got. The hallway shifted and swam in his vision, and it wasn’t coming back. Something like a rushing sound filled his ears. He tried calling out for Connor again, and he wasn’t even sure if he spoke. His stomach felt awful, but that was the least of his worries right now. He leaned slightly, to try and hold onto the wall for support, but fell just short.

And then he was falling

Falling...

Falling...

And then, darkness.

The falling sensation came back, but so did the rushing noise. A chill permeated through his body, but it wasn’t a feverish chill anymore. The falling sensation quickly turned into spinning. No. ..No not spinning. Rolling. He was rolling. The rushing sound was abruptly replaced by the sickening sound of twisted metal and shattering glass.

He was back at the accident.

Hank was  ** in ** the  accident .

He let out a groan, as the car finally stopped rolling. He lost count of how many times it had rolled. The windows were shattered, and the chill of an early snow in October came through, making Hank shiver. What was Mother Nature thinking, snowing in October? Hell, Halloween hadn’t even come by yet! He still had to figure out what costume Cole was going to wear--

Cole.

Cold, freezing dread dipped through Hank, as he found the strength to move, unbuckling his seat belt, as he twisted and crawled out of the wreckage that used to be his car. But Cole wasn’t in the car. Cole wasn’t there. His heart is practically hammering out of his chest, in worry. Where was Cole? He had been right next to him, in the passenger seat. They were smile, laughing, singing along to the radio—

Then there was screeching tires, the sound of metal being crushed, and then--

“COLE!”

Hank shouted to the howling wind, as the snow picked up. Outside was pitch black, aside from the headlights and snow. There was the sound of a car horn being stuck. The car that hit him? He wasn’t sure. Duty told him to go and check on the other car, to make sure they were all right. ...But logic wasn’t on his side right now. Right now, his son was gone; ripped from the car he had just been in. Hank ached all over, everything hurt, he was bleeding...but that didn’t matter. He had to find Cole.

“...D--Daddy?”

Hank whirled around, hearing Cole’s voice. But the dark abyss seemed to stretch on forever, white snow dotting the color, making it almost look like space. But there was no Cole. That was his voice, though.

“Cole?” Hank called out again, going towards the source. His legs weren’t working right—had he broken one? He wasn’t sure, but he was moving a lot slower than he needed to be. He needed to find Cole right  ** now ** ! The snow bit through his clothes, making him wrap his arms around himself, as he trudged through the storm, “Cole? COLE!”

For a horrifying moment, he thought the wind was drowning out his voice. He continued forward, but then--

“Daddy? It. ..It hurts...!”

“Cole!”

The voice came from a different direction.

He whirled around, heading towards that voice. His heart was breaking at how scared, how absolutely  _ terrified _ Cole sounded. He could practically see him now, big eyes all watery and small lips trembling, as he tried not to cry. He was such a brave, brave big boy. He’d be fine...! He had to be fine, he was an Anderson, he’d be—

“Daddy, wh—where are...where are you? Daddy...!”

“I’m coming, son, I’m coming!” Hank’s own voice was trembling. The cold wind wasn’t what was bringing tears to his eyes. The cold grasp of panic seized his chest, and he found it harder to breath. He couldn’t get his legs to move how he wanted them to, wanting to just run towards the source of Cole’s voice. He just wanted to be with his son...! “Cole, I’m coming...!”

“Daddy? It. ..hurts so bad...! I  wanna ...I  wanna go home! Daddy, I’m scared! Daddy!!”

The increasing panic in Cole’s voice wrenched a sob out of Hank, as he moved a little bit faster through this abyss. But the snow was disappearing. The last of his light was disappearing. Cole’s voice was fading, and slowly disappearing.

“COLE!!”

Hank cried out, practically screamed out, Cole’s name as he sifted through the darkness, until the snow and light disappeared, and he was left in darkness. Cole’s voice was gone. Cole wasn’t there. Hank sank to his knees, soundlessly. His hands, trembling as they were, were covered in blood. His own? Cole’s? He didn’t know. He buried his face into his hands anyways, unable to stop the tears and sobbing.

“I--I’m so sorry, Cole...I’m so sorry...! Daddy...Daddy couldn’t save you...I’m so s-sorry, Cole....I’m sorry...!” he sobbed out. His chest felt tight, about to burst. The cold darkness surrounded him. A reminder of how he felt, when Cole had died. He was just surrounded by nothingness, when his son died. Alone, and cold. A broken man. The warmth and weight of the gun in his hand, the burning alcohol down his throat...

“Cole...I-I’m...sorry...”

But then another voice came through the darkness. The voice was young...but not a child’s voice. But they sounded so familiar. So very familiar...

“... nk ! Hank...!”

They were saying his name. He lifted his head slightly, not caring that he was a mess of tears, snot, and blood. Who was calling him...?

“Hank...? Hank...!”

The darkness around him slowly started to break away...

And soon, he felt warm again.

It took Hank a good, long moment to realize that he wasn’t back at the accident. He was back in his room. He was warm, again. He felt something around him—arms. Strong, firm arms, wrapped around him, and holding him up. He wasn’t laying down. He was leaning up against someone. A hand was in his sweaty, matted hair. The other was slowly rubbing up and down his back.

And the voice that called out to him earlier spoke again.

“It’s a nightmare, Hank. It’s just a nightmare....”

...That was Connor. That was Connor’s voice. Connor was currently holding him, hugging him tightly against his body. He could’ve  swore he felt—and heard—a sort of purring coming from Connor’s body. He did feel warm... It was...very nice. He also felt something soft and warm by his feet. It wasn’t a blanket. ...Was  it Sumo? Were they both back with him, now? He was vaguely aware he was in different clothes, too...

But that didn’t matter right now.

Hank shifted slightly, clinging to Connor as if his life depended on it, stretching his shirt probably too far, before burying his face in his shoulder, and just... breaking down. The tightness in his chest finally snapped, and the sobs he had been holding back came forth. The dregs of the nightmare still clung to him, sobbing out apologies into Connor’s shoulder, apologizing to Cole, saying Cole’s name...

Soon, he became incoherent, even to himself.

Connor, the whole while, continued to hold him close. Through his sobbing, he heard Connor whisper softly to him. That kind voice of his, so full of warmth and love...

“I’m here, Hank. It’s okay... I’m here. I’m not going to let you go. I’m right here, Hank...”

Hank just sank into him some more, crying and wailing like his heart had been broken all over again. He clung to Connor, clinging to that lovely warmth, holding the one he loved so dear so close to him, that he felt if he pulled away, he’d break even more.

...But he knew Connor would help him pick up the pieces, afterwards. He always did...

Hank woke up, slightly startled.

He hadn’t remembered falling asleep and/or passing out. The last things he remembered, were crying into Connor, and his lovely voice. He probably had worn himself out, crying so hard, that he just...dozed off. He was laying down, though he was slightly propped up against some pillows that Connor had, no doubt, gathered. Sumo lay across his legs, a heavy but comfortable weight. The dog was fast asleep, snoring softly.

And, right next to him, was Connor.

He was sitting beside the bed, on his knees. He had changed clothes, now wearing one of Hank’s oversized T-shirts. It was hanging slightly off of one shoulder. His head was resting on one folded arm, the other stretched out slightly, laying on top of Hank’s hand, which was palm up. Connor’s fingers were resting lightly on his pulse point, no doubt keeping an eye on his heartrate. His eyes were closed, LED glowing softly as he remained in stasis.

Hank sighed softly, relaxing back against the pillows, and simply just watched Connor for a moment. No doubt, he’d scared him, seeing him collapsed in the hallway. And then being delirious, as he had been? He owed Connor an apology. He didn’t like scaring  Connor, he didn’t like scaring the one he loved. ...But Hank was stubborn, if anything, and didn’t want to address what he had thought was just a simple cold. Obviously, it was more than that. But he hadn’t meant his stubbornness and decreasing health to scare Connor...

But right now, he looked so peaceful, while sleeping. In stasis. Whatever. Either way, he looked so serene. Hank smiled, and shifted his hand slightly, so that he could gently grasp Connor’s giving it a gentle squeeze. It... felt good, to be looked after, like this. He hadn’t had this amount of kindness in years (not counting Sumo keeping him company, and giving him comforting kisses and such). It was a welcome change, and one he still had to get used to.

“...Thank you, Connor...” he said softly, letting his eyes close. He still felt awful, and he knew the best recovery came from sleep. And so, he was going to sleep. Though, just before he completely closed his eyes, he could’ve sworn he saw Connor smile a little...

Hank fell asleep fairly easily. This time, there were no dreams.


	7. Day 7--Wings (reed900)

Richard walked down the street, rolling his shoulders slightly. He was...nervous. But he had gone through it. Everything was said and done, and he had done it. It was a fairly quick procedure, and aside from a few warnings popping up on his HUD, everything went well. The android at the shop had told him that errors would pop up from time to time, until his systems had gotten used to ‘that.’ But if there were any long-lasting problems, he could return to the shop.

Richard hoped that Gavin would like it...

Today marked their 1-year anniversary. At first, Gavin had said he didn’t want to do anything big to celebrate, but as it got closer, he suddenly started planning the whole day out. He wanted to spend the whole day with Richard, just the two of them. Go out for a drive. Go walk somewhere. Eat out at a fancy restaurant...the usual couple things. And, of course, end the day with some passionate lovemaking in the bedroom.

What could go wrong?

Well...

Early that morning, a phone call had woken both of them up. Apparently, Gavin had been needed at the station. Just Gavin, not Richard. And on the day of their anniversary, to boot. Gavin complained the whole time he got ready, and apologized for ruining the day. Richard kissed those apologies away, wishing him a good day, and that they could still do something tonight. Their whole-day plan could wait another day. It wasn’t a problem.

Apparently, it hadn’t been a call-in for a case. Gavin had been texting him on and off the entire day. Complaining about how bored he was, and how he just wanted to go home and be with him. Richard chuckled at those text messages, as he didn’t blame him. He wholly wanted Gavin to come back home, so that they could spend the day together. But, work was work, and being a part of the DPD meant that one could get called out at any time. So was their life, and they had to deal with it.

But this also gave Richard the perfect opportunity to do ‘that.’ He had researched ‘that,’ since it had been brought to his attention. After much debating and researching, he made an appointment. Though, with Gavin having to be called in, he rescheduled it. Thankfully, the android at the shop was more than willing to work with him, and managed to get him in early.

Now, it was just a matter of it ‘healing’ in a sense, and showing it off to Gavin.

Richard stopped walking for a moment, watching the trees in the park. Their leaves had completely changed color, and the park was now a vibrant array of oranges, reds, yellows, and some lingering greens. It was...gorgeous. He was quickly finding autumn to be his favorite season, for multiple reasons.

The changing of the leaves.

The cooler weather.

Sweater weather.

Gavin’s birthday.

His activation day.

Pumpkins.

Halloween.

Richard adored it all.

And now, he could add their anniversary to that list.

He smiled, before he continued to walk down the street, walking back home. He still had a few more hours to kill. Perhaps, he could get things set up, for when Gavin returned home that night.

Gavin was a bit late coming home, but it was nothing to worry about. Just before Richard was about to call him, nearly an hour after his scheduled quitting time, Gavin came practically busting through the door. Like he had ran all the way up to his apartment, instead of just taking the elevator.

Richard welcomed him home with a smile, and a kiss.

Richard made Gavin his favorite dish for dinner—shrimp scampi. While he made that, Gavin tried his hand at a  t hirium-based dessert for his lovely RK900 unit. Food for androids was still in the planning stages, but there were a few dishes that were officially approved. And most of them were sweet. Gavin was attempting to make a  t hirium pudding pie, using ingredients that wouldn’t harm Richard’s inner workings.

The end result…didn’t look like the picture that was presented, but Richard still loved it.

As per usual, Richard made a bit too much of the shrimp scampi, so there would be plenty left over. And the pudding pie was a full sized pie, and there’d be leftovers of that, as well. Once they had their fill, they cleaned up the kitchen together. But wandering hands couldn’t stay idle for long, and dishes were forgotten, as they headed to the bedroom. Richard was glad that he had fed the cats, before Gavin got home. They would be distracted, while they enjoyed a bit of private time together. But before that could start…

“I got something for you…” said Richard, pulling back away from the kiss.

“You didn’t have to, y’know…” said Gavin, breathless from the kiss, face flushed as he smiled at Richard.

“I know, but I still…wanted to.” He said, smiling almost shyly. ‘Wanting’ things was still an unfamiliar concept to him. He had joined the DPD, as a machine. Became Gavin’s partner, as a machine. He’d been deviant for a full year now, and having free will still surprised him.

“ Awright ,  let ' s see it.”  s aid Gavin, grinning. He soon yelped, as he was scooped up into Richard’s arms, suddenly. They both laughed softly, kissing each other once more, before Gavin was set down on the bed. Once settled, Richard pulled back, before turning around. This was it. The moment of truth. The nervousness from earlier came back, and squeezed at his chest. What if Gavin didn’t like it? What if he completely hated it? What if—?

“Babe?”

Richard glanced over his shoulder, seeing Gavin sitting on the edge of the bed, looking worried, “Everything good? Your light’s yellow.”

Damn his LED for giving him away.

“I’m…honestly a little nervous, showing you this…” admitted Richard, toying with the end of his shirt.

“ _ Babe _ , darling, my angel…” sighed Gavin, though his smile was so warm, Richard felt his core heat up from the sight of it, “Don’t be nervous. No matter what it is, I’m gonna love it.”

It was both Gavin’s warm words, and that particular pet name he used at the end, that gave Richard some courage. He nodded, turning back around, hands taking hold of his shirt.

“Okay, then…” With a deep breath, he lifted his shirt off of his head, letting it drop to the floor. At the same time, he let the skin on his back recede…and he heard Gavin gasp softly.

Along his back, was what looked like a tattoo, right onto his chassis.  A pair of angel wings, folded up, had been artfully tattooed into his chassis. The details were so fine, it looked like actual feathers made up the piece. It was a large piece too, starting from the backs of his shoulders, going down to the small of his back. His broad back made the perfect canvas for such a piece…

For a moment, Richard heard nothing from Gavin. That nervousness welled up again, until he jumped, feeling familiar hands along his back. Gavin’s calloused palms spread over his back, fingertips tracing the piece.

“This...Babe, is...this a tattoo?”

Richard nodded, feeling himself relaxing at Gavin’s curious touch, “There have been rumors, about androids being able to get tattoos without just projecting them onto their synth skin.” he explained, “I researched around quite a bit, and found a shop nearby that did such tattoos. It also is embedded into my coding, a little, so...”

He stepped away briefly from Gavin, letting his skin cover his back  back up...but the tattoo still remained on his skin. It looked just like any normal tattoo a human would have. He felt Gavin touch at it again, and he couldn’t help but smile, LED flickering...before the tattoo starting glowing; a soft, blue color just a shade lighter of the LED at his temple.

“Fuck...” breathed Gavin, and Richard could feel trembling fingertips trace along the glowing tattoo. A tattoo that would never go away, one that was now permanently on Richard. It was...amazing. “It’s gorgeous.  ** You’re ** gorgeous, Richard...”

Richard smiled, his cheeks turning blue with a blush.

“...And it matches, holy  _ shit _ —”

That confused him.

Richard turned around, just as Gavin dashed for the door, barely letting out a ‘be right back!” before running out. Richard just...stared after him, wondering what that had been all about. He heard a few heavy footsteps, followed by the hurried pattering of smaller ones. He probably stumbled over the cats. It didn’t take him long to come back, closing the door behind him, before producing a small bag, holding it out to Richard.

“For you, Rich. Happy Anniversary.”

Richard blinked at the bag, before gingerly taking it. It was rather light. It wasn’t any sort of food. He gave it a small shake, before reaching inside. He pulled away the tissue paper, peering in the bag...before his LED went red, with surprise and shock. Fingers trembled, as he slowly pulled it out. His gift.

In his hands was a lovely pair of lingerie. They were pastel blue, and looked styled like hipsters. They were lacey all the way around, leaving nothing to the imagination. They came with stocking straps, and upon digging into the bag further, Richard found matching, lacey stockings. He looked the panties over, before looking on the back. And Richard’s earlier comment made sense.

On the back, were a pair of cute, white angel wings, sewn right into the back.

Richard put the lingerie back into the bag, setting it on the dresser...before stripping out of his pants. They almost went flying across the room, before his underwear and socks followed. He hurried back over to the bag, blushing darkly as he heard Gavin chuckle at him. He slipped the stockings on carefully, not wanting to get a run in them. He treated them delicately, before slipping the panties on. A pleasant thrill ran through him, feeling that lace brush over his thighs, groin, and backside. Once they were on fully, he moved to the full-sized mirror in the room, and stood in front of it.

They fit perfectly. Nothing was out of place. The lace in the front pressed against his cock with just the right amount of pressure, that it felt comfortable yet oh so arousing. Turning around, the lace in the back framed his ass perfectly, the angel wings helping with that, too. The stockings on his legs didn’t stretch out too far, and fit like a glove.

A sexy glove.

“Gavin...” he breathed, LED a lightshow as all sort of emotions flooded him. Turning back around to face the mirror, Gavin himself stepped behind Richard, wrapping his arms around him, and peering around at him in the mirror, a warm, loving smile on his lips.

“All for you, my pretty angel...”

Richard smiled, moving his hands to rest on top of Gavin’s.

“And you call me a sap...”

They both laughed softly, before Richard turned around in Gavin’s arms, leaning down for a kiss.

“Happy Anniversary, my love.”

“Happy Anniversary, darling.”


	8. Day 8--Bedridden (reed900)

** [SYSTEM REBOOT...] **

_ Gavin? _

** [ ** ** RESTABILIZING ** ** ...] **

** [PR0C3SS3S RUN%%1NG AT –4153I4II9OK%&%%%%%] **

** [REBOOTING—] **

** […..] **

** […..] **

** […..] **

** [SYSTEM REBOOT...] **

** [ ** ** RESTABLIZING ** ** ...] **

_ Gavin--? _

Something was wrong.

One moment, Richard had been with Gavin at the station. Everything had been running smoothly. They had captured a deviant, and were going to interrogate him. And then...and then...

...And then...?

** [STRESS LEVEL: 76%] **

There were gaps in his memory. That...wasn’t good. At all. What had happened? Had there been an attack? What about Gavin? What happened to the deviant? Did something happen? What was going on? What about Gavin? Where was Gavin—?

** [STRESS LEVEL: 82%] **

His vision wasn’t coming up, only alerts in his HUD. But even then, they were slightly...glitchy. Flickering in and out, showing up in different languages briefly. He couldn’t hear, he couldn’t see. And he was so incredibly  _ warm _ , but not in a comforting way. No, it felt like he was melting from the inside out, he was so hot. What was going on?

_ Gavin—? Gavin? Where is Gavin?  _ _ GaAAVvIinN _ _ ?  _ _ GAviii _ _ —n? &AV—VII11NN— _

** [STRESS LEVEL: 90%] **

He was alone. He was completely alone, and in the dark. Damn deviation for letting him feel emotions, he wouldn’t have to deal with all this dread and fear, if he had remained a machine. He’d be blissfully unaware of it all. ...But despite that, there was no way in hell, he’d want to go back to that state. Not when he had—

“Richard!”

A voice. It sounded...awful, like his hearing units had been heavily damaged. But despite the horrible sound quality, Richard recognized that voice anywhere. It felt so good to hear him. That meant he was safe, right?

“H-Hey, easy…Don’t cry, babe, I’m right here…”

Was he crying? Richard didn’t even realize i t. He felt some sort of…pressure? On his arm. Or his hand. Either way, there was a touch. And it was Gavin’s hand. Even with limited processes running, Richard could tell that much. There was more pressure on his face. Wiping away his tears? That pressure and touch seemed to calm him, though his body still felt uncomfortably warm…

“Babe? I’m gonna try something. Just…”

There was nothing, as Gavin pulled his han ds away. Richard felt that initial panic, as he was left alone in darkness. But before that panic could settle, a glitched alert popped up on his HUD.

** [ ** ** 3XT3 ** ** RN4L Pr0GR4M F0 ** ** Und] **

** [PERMissIoN TO RUN Y35/N0] **

Richard was sure he let out a whimper. What was trying to access him? He felt a hand on his arm again, gently squeezing. It was Gavin. He came back.

“Rich, it’s just me. It’s alright. Trust me.”

Richard trusted Gavin. Wholeheartedly.

** [Y35] **

For a moment, there was nothing. A flash of static crowded his HUD, spiking his stress levels briefly, before his vision came back. Only...it was from a rather odd point of view. The image was rather low quality, but he could make out the specifics of Gavin’s room. And, from where he was, he surmised he was laying on Gavin’s bed.

But the angle was weird.

Gavin came into view suddenly, and Richard felt  relief flood through his systems. Gavin was here. And he was safe. Completely safe. He waved, before smiling.

“Awesome. It really did work! Guess my cousin’s good for something.”

The view shifted...and Richard realized why his point of view was weird.

He was seeing everything from Gavin’s old laptop. He had it positioned at the head of the bed, no doubt where his head probably was. Or near it, anyways. Gavin took the laptop and moved it, causing Richard’s world to shift, as he let the laptop camera settle on him.

Sure enough, Richard saw himself  laying in bed, arms at his side, and head propped up against some pillows. Wires came out from the back of his neck, no doubt connecting to the computer. From the low light of the lamps on the bedside table, he could see his LED was still flickering a yellow-red...and his cheeks were wet.

Gavin hadn’t been kidding, when he said he had been crying.

_ “Gavin...?” _

And another uncanny thing. Richard saw his mouth move, but his voice came from the laptop.

That seemed to make Gavin relieved, “Thank fuck, you can talk. I mean, you were practically crying out my name earlier, but you sounded like someone had fried your motherboard, and not in a good way. At least I can fully understand you, now.”

They had communication set up, and Richard had his sight and hearing back. Good. But now that that was out of the way...

_ “...What happened?” _

“First, everything is okay.” started Gavin, shifting until he was laying down beside Richard. The view was rather different, as Richard saw himself  laying motionless next to him, but no doubt this was just temporary. He could deal, “I’m okay, everyone at the station is okay, and you’re  gonna be okay.”

Richard sighed, almost letting out a quiet sob of relief. Gavin was okay. Whatever had happened, in that span of lost memories, Gavin was okay. That’s all that mattered.

“That guy we brought in? That deviant? The reason he was acting so funny, was because he apparently had a virus. He gave it right to you, when you tried to interface with you. Knocked you flat out. BAM!” He smacked his hands together, and the loud sound made Richard jump—physically,  which made Gavin jump at the seemingly motionless body suddenly moving.

_ “A. _ _ ..virus _ _ ? But I thought I was...” _

But Gavin waved a dismissive hand.

“’State of the art, top notch...’ Yeah, but apparently this virus still affected you, and how. It was making you overheat, to the point where you were blowing steam. Literally. And we couldn’t afford Connor to interface with you, and get the virus as well, but your systems seemed to figure out that enough was enough, and shut you down in some...emergency state.” Gavin worried at his lip for a moment, “Scared the shit  outta me, because your LED went off for a few seconds. Thought I. ..actually lost you, y’know...?”

He moved his hand down, and Richard could feel him gently take his hand, squeezing it. Richard wanted to squeeze back, but found he still couldn’t move all that much.

“We got you here to rest, and I called my cousin. He said to keep you cool, and not moving. And if you ever started to wake up, that I should put less stress on your systems, and have you  communicate through something else.” He chuckled, “I’m sure glad as  shit that my laptop still works.”

At the moment, Richard forgot who this ‘cousin’ was, but whoever they were, they knew quite a bit about technology and androids. He’d have to thank him...

_ “So. _ _ ..what _ _ should I do now...? I feel incredibly hot still...” _

Gavin reached over, using his free hand to  gently touch at Richard’s face. He felt it, as his hand travel down to his neck, and to his chest. He contemplated for a moment, before turning to the camera again.

“I’ll get some more ice packs on you. But right now, you just need to cool off.” He then grinned, “I don’t want my boyfriend turning into a melted piece of plastic.”

That got a chuckle out of Richard, and he saw his face twitch into a smile as well, his LED finally flickering to blue and yellow. An improvement, for sure. Even Gavin seemed to  relax , as he laid by him.

“Other than cooling off, you’re to remain in bed, until we have an anti-virus made up.” said Gavin, lifting up Richard’s hand, and looking at it, tracing his fingers along his own. Some twitched at the contact, “From what I hear, we should get it by tomorrow morning. You should be cooled off  way before then, but he still recommends not to move, until the anti-virus is uploaded. Think you can do that?”

Richard nodded. ...Or tried to nod. His head didn’t want to move. His fingers twitched again, in an effort to squeeze Gavin’s hand, a smile coming to his lips again.

_ “So long as you can stay with me, I can manage it.” _

Gavin smiled, “Hey, any excuse to spend time with you in  bed. Though sorry we can’t do our...’usual’ activities.”

_ “I’m sure we can make time for that, later. I can think of plenty of ways to keep you in bed, with ‘those’ methods, my dear...” _

Even with the lo-fi camera, Richard could still see Gavin turn a bright red at that.

“...Yeah, you’re  gonna be just fine, you horny ‘bot.”

Despite his words, and the blush, Gavin was smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I headcanon Kamski to be Gavin's cousin, so that's who he's talking about~ ouo


	9. Day 9--Tentacles in Space (Hankcon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A kinda 70's/80's style Space AU. Big bubble helmets. Y'know, that kind of space.
> 
> Enjoy the tentacles!

When Hank responded to an SOS call, he hadn’t expected it to lead him to a luxury cruise liner, dead in the middle of space.

He also didn’t expect to find a rather gorgeous creature, hiding under the console on the main bridge, staring at him with large, fearful eyes.

He had just been piloting his ship, looking for jobs, when he got the SOS ping. More curious than anything, he steered his ship towards it, only to come across a giant luxury cruise liner. It still had power—Hank could see the lights of the several cabins from far off. But she was stock still. Dead in the water, as one would say. When he boarded, he put on his suit, in case life support had gone offline, though he was surprised to find the gravity working. He was even more surprised to see that there was no one on board.

Not a single soul.

There wasn’t much signs of struggle, and no blood of any kind to speak of. So... who had issued the SOS? Was it delayed?

That’s when he went to the bridge, and saw something crouched under the console.

It wasn’t like any creature Hank had ever seen before. But it was hard to tell what it was, with it hidden under there. But it was scared, he could tell that much. And he probably looked scary, being big, and even bigger with the helmet on his head. He crouched down, holding out a gloved hand.

“It’s okay, lil’ guy.” he crooned, voice slightly modulated through his helmet, “I’m not gonna hurt you. You’re safe. No weapons, see?” He pulled his hand back, gesturing to his suit. He did have a knife in a pocket, but it wasn’t visible. The suit mostly just protected him from the elements of space. It was older, but hey it worked, “C’mon out from under there. It’s okay...”

The creature seemed to contemplate for a moment, before reaching out...and wrapping a bluish tentacle around Hank’s hand, as it slowly came out from hiding.

Hank was very surprised when it emerged, and it was nearly as big as him. The creature was a soft blue color, and almost looked like it was made out of gelatin, if not for it being nice and solid. The upper portion of its body actually looked like a young man, minus any hair, ears, nose, or arms; tentacles replaced those. It did have nice, expressive eyes, a gorgeous brown, almost amber, in color.

...And then the lower half of it (him?) was nothing but a mass of tentacles.

It almost looked like some sort of combination of an octopus and a person.

“Well...ain’t never seen an animal like you, before—”

Hank regretted his words instantly, as the creature folded its tentacle arms over his chest, and gave him such an unimpressed look, that he actually balked. He quickly understood two things—this creature could understand him, very clearly. ...And it was sentient. It wasn’t a creature, or an animal. This was a different alien race. One Hank had yet to encounter.

And now he just offended him, and they just met.

“Shit. Uh...sorry.” bumbled out Hank, rubbing the back of his helmet sheepishly. He could feel his face burning, almost fogging up his helmet, “Didn’t mean to...uh...you’re...sentient, right?”

The creature raised what could’ve been an eyebrow, before he nodded. He still looked very unimpressed. At least he hadn’t killed Hank outright for offending him. Hank could list off a few races that would easily do that, given the chance.

“Can you talk?”

The being relaxed a little, and opened his mouth...but all that came out were tiny chirps and coos. Soft, rather cute noises. But it wasn’t a language Hank was familiar with. He knew a few alien languages, but this wasn’t one of them. The being seemed to notice his confusion, and he stopped.

“Is there any other way you can communicate?”

The being nodded eagerly, finally smiling. And God, if that smile didn’t make him look gorgeous. But then it dropped, as he suddenly looked worried. He started to explain, that strange language coming out of him, before he stopped. His arm tentacles, and other tentacles below him started to shift, and he gestured with them. Hank watched, trying to interpret all this. They gestured between Hank and himself, before a few of them smacked against each other. The ones that were smacked recoiled slightly, as if in pain. It took a few tries, before Hank finally got it.

“You’re...worried about hurting me?” he asked.

The being nodded, lowering his tentacles.

Hank chuckled, shaking his head. He gestured to his body, patting his large gut, visible even through the suit, “Son, have you seen me? I’m massive—I can take whatever you can throw at me.”

The being looked him over, as if seeing him for the first time. He let out a strange noise then, truly giving Hank a look over. It was hard to tell from the noises, but just from his expression, Hank could tell he liked what he saw. Well, if that wasn’t interesting...

Tentacles reached out again. A few laid loosely on his arms and over his shoulders, as two others wrapped around his helmet, and gave it a slight twist, before taking it off. Hank almost panicked at first, arms twitching to reach for it, but he took in a breath, and realized that he could breathe. The air was cold, and just slightly stale, but there was oxygen. Guess he didn’t have to wear the suit after all.

The being smiled at him, before a tentacle reached out and gently touched against Hank’s temple. He barely had time to register how warm it was, before a sudden flood of...something happened in his mind.

Colors. There was a lot of colors. A rush of them, all different shades, all followed by sensations and possibly emotions, and—

It startled Hank enough for him to reel back with a gasp, the tentacles pulling back instantly. The being looked worried, almost apologetic, as he moved closer, a few tentacles raised apprehensively. He didn’t need words for this.

“I’m... I’m okay.” said Hank, getting his breath back, “Didn’t hurt. Just... startled me, was all. Wasn’t expecting...” He gestured with his hand, “...A light show. Or whatever. It’s okay, just... tone it down? If you can?”

The being nodded, but before he could reach for Hank’s head again, Hank stopped him with a hand, holding up a finger for him to wait a moment. He reached down, taking off a glove, and tossing it aside. Maybe it wouldn’t be so vivid, if it was just concentrated to his hand. The being seemed to get that, and wrapped a tentacle around Hank’s hand. Again, it was warm, and it wasn’t...unpleasantly slimy. It was rather nice. He found himself stroking it with a thumb, as those colors came back.

It was nowhere near as startling as it was at first. The colors in his mind were... gentle? Kind. He couldn’t figure out how or why they were like that, they just... were. Warm and friendly colors. This being in front of him was friendly. It didn’t mean him any harm. That’s what he was getting from this.

“...Okay, that’s cool.” said Hank, smiling. The being let out a happy-sounding chirp, “So, uh... you got a name?”

A flurry of chirps and coos left him.

“Uh...”

The tentacle around his hand squeezes lightly. The colors come back, but an alien language starts to appear, as well. If that wasn’t nifty... Letters started to form, but Hank, once again, didn’t recognize the alphabet. This being came from a system he had yet to encounter. But the first three letters did look like something familiar...

“I can’t read that.” said Hank, but before the being could do anything else, he continued, “But those first few letters kinda look like ‘Con’ so I’m gonna call you ‘Con.’ Is that okay?”

Apparently it was, as the being—Con—let out a happy trill, and wrapped several of his tentacles around Hank in what he could only interpret as a hug. Hank chuckled at his enthusiasm. These tentacles really didn’t feel all that bad...

Even if they were wandering a bit, now. Feeling all over him...

And a few slipped into his suit.

Hank chuckled again, a bit nervously, as he felt those tentacles wiggle around in his suit. Con was just exploring. Probably hadn’t seen a human before. Maybe. But then those tentacles were starting to wander lower...

“G--getting a bit  feelsy with those things, aren’t we--?”

Hank stopped instantly, as one tentacle brushed over his groin, and he—and his dick—twitched.

Both of them stopped.

Con watched him, before letting the tentacle brush over that spot again.

Hank let out a soft noise, squirming slightly.

An array of questioning colors came to Hank’s mind.

“It’s...” Now he had to explain this, dammit. “...It’s...fine. It feels...It feels good...? Yeah, it’s good... But—But if you don’t wanna continue, that’s fine, don’t feel obligated to—”

Oh, Con wanted to continue.

The tentacles worm Hank out of his suit, and he’s powerless to stop them. And...he honestly didn't want them to stop. He found it fascinating how easily they maneuvered him, and how gentle they were being. The suit came off easily enough, and he was left in his clothes underneath—a ragged tank top, and some ratty shorts. Hey, no one usually saw what was underneath, so why bother dressing up?

Apparently Con really liked what he saw, judging by the noises leaving him.

The tentacles started to wander around him again, feeling him. They felt a little slicker this time, but Hank didn’t mind. He reached out to a few of them, stroking them, feeling them move into his touch. One brushed against his face, getting slime in his beard, but he didn't care. The tentacle seemed to like the sensation of his beard, and continued to rub against it. He chuckled, reaching out and gently squeezing at it, before pulling it back. It wiggled in front of him, and he couldn’t help himself. He brought it in closer, and kissed the tip of it.

The tentacles surrounding him shivered. Con let out a cute little chirp.

Hank knew better than to put random things in his mouth...but he couldn’t help himself, as he slipped the tip of the tentacle between his lips, gently sucking. The tentacles around him surged and trembled. He was also very glad that the slime wasn't making his lips tingle, or making him sick. Guess Con wasn't poisonous. So that was good.

He continued to suck on the tentacle, letting more of it into his mouth, barely aware that his ratty shorts were being pulled off. Tentacles wrapped around his arms, holding him up, but not fully restraining him. Some wrapped around his legs as well, wandering and squeezing, and spreading them apart—

Spreading—

Hank let out a surprised noise around the tentacle in his mouth, as he felt something press against him ‘back there.’ And not just a simple something, but three rather large somethings. Panic flooded him for a moment, and it must’ve leaked to Con somehow, as he immediately pulled it back, only to replace it with something a bit smaller. And only one, this time. Questioning colors flooded his mind. Asking him permission.

Hank gave himself a moment, realizing what was about to happen. He hadn’t had any sex in a very, very long time. On lonely nights, he just had his hands, fingers and lube to keep him company. He couldn’t afford any toys, to help pleasure himself. And now, here this tentacle creature was, about to put a tentacle up inside of him. A thrill of pleasure went through him, and he felt his cock twitch, eagerly filling up.

He sucked hard at the tentacle around his mouth, before nodding. Even gave him a thumbs up.

Con let out a happy coo, as another tentacle stroked his cheek, before he felt that slimy tentacle behind him start to slip in.

The tentacles having their own lubrication was a Godsend. Still, the initial penetration burned slightly, and Hank let out a groan against the tentacle in his mouth. Con stilled for a moment, before slowly continuing. The tentacles around his legs stroked at his trembling thighs, and a smaller one wrapped around his cock, giving it a gentle squeeze. Tentacles were in his hair, rubbing against his face. Con continued to let out soft chirps and coos, as if calming Hank down. And if that wasn’t precious...

Hank continued to suck at the tentacle in his mouth, making rather obscene noises, but he didn’t care. He felt that tentacle fully penetrate him now, and felt it slowly moving deeper inside of him. The girth of it started to get a bit thicker, but that burning sensation didn’t last long. Hank had taken quite a few dicks in his time, alien and human alike. And while it had been awhile, sure, his body still knew how to react. How to adjust.

And Con, bless his soul, was being so gentle with him. Easing him into all this.

If he could kiss him, he would.

He let out a moan, feeling that tentacle reach so very deep inside of him, deeper than any finger or any cock he’d taken before. It was thrilling to feel it squirm about so deep into him. He felt it flex, and his body twitched, feeling the thickness brush up against his prostate. Con stilled for a moment, before he did it again, getting that same reaction. Hank looked over at him, and he could’ve sworn that the little fucker was actually smirking.

The tentacle finally started to move, slowly thrusting into him.

Hank trembled and moaned some more, as he felt it spreading him and filling him, with each thrust. He was dimly aware that he was no longer on the ground. These tentacles were holding him up in the air. A big human like him, being held up like he was just as light as a doll. That fact alone made him even harder, trembling as a thrill of pleasure shot down his spine. He always did liked to be manhandled a bit, but everyone he had come across couldn’t do it. He could count on one hand how many had actually been able to manhandle him.

And now he could add one more to that list.

The tentacle inside of him started to move a bit faster now, and Hank moaned loudly into the tentacle in his mouth. He let it go further back, touching the back of his throat, as he sucked at it hard, nearly swallowing it. He was very glad that he didn’t have a gag reflex, and even Con seemed impressed. The tentacle in his mouth pulsed and twitched, almost like a cock would. It even was secreting more of that tasteless slime, making quite a mess around his lips, and into his beard. But Hank didn’t care. Everything felt too good to care about something like that right now.

Suddenly, he felt something else press against his entrance. A second tentacle. It started to slowly penetrate him, and Hank couldn’t help but let out a whimper, biting down gently on the tentacle in his mouth. The tentacle stilled slightly, and another whimper left him, feeling the one already inside of him stop. He didn’t want them to stop...!

Concerned colors flushed his mind.

Hank almost talked, but realizing he had something in his mouth, he gave the tentacle a gentle tug, releasing it from his teeth. It slowly slipped out of his mouth, leaving his lips with a wet pop, a trail of saliva and slime left over.

“Fuck...” Hank breathed, voice a little rough from sucking that tentacle for so long, “I’m...I-I’m good, Con...Just...go...go slow...”

Con nodded, letting out a low trill, almost sounding like a moan, as that second tentacle started to slip inside of him, stretching him even further.

Hank arched his back, letting out a hot moan as he felt it filling him up even more. God, when was the last time he had gotten filled like this? Stretched out like this? He couldn’t remember. His cock was a pulsing, twitching mess and the smaller tentacle around it loved it. It toyed with the pre-cum leaking out, as it slowly pumped at him. A few smaller tentacles were teasing his balls as well, squeezing them gently.

And a few had even found their way under his tank top, drenched with sweat and slime, wrapping around his pecs, and teasing at his nipples. A larger tentacle squeezed at his gut.

The tentacles were surrounding him, engulfing him, and Hank absolutely loved it.

The second tentacle was inside of him now, and now both of them were thrusting in earnest. Hank let out a cry of pleasure, feeling them thrust into him like that. Con let out a noise, a rather pleasured noise. He liked how Hank sounded. Well, if he enjoyed that, Hank wasn’t going to keep quiet. As if he could, with how good things felt right now. Plus his arms were tangled in tentacles right now, and he didn’t feel like moving them. Though feeling his arms strain slightly at his bonds send another thrill down his spine, making his cock twitch and leak some more. His legs are shaking, toes curling, feeling those two tentacles spread him open further than he had been in his life.

“M-More...” Hank gasped out, hands grasping at the slippery tentacles around him, wanting something to hold onto, “Con...More...please...M-More...Fuck...!”

Hank isn’t even sure if he can take any more tentacles, but he’s more than willing to try.

Sure enough, a third—a third tentacle— was starting to join the others. Hank gasped, arching his back, feeling himself being stretched out even  ** more ** . His heart  was pounding against his ribcage, threatening to burst. A keening, needy whine left him, as it slowly started to join the others already so deep inside of him. His ass  was being stretched out and used so much. He knew he was going to be so sore after this, but Hank didn’t care. The only thing he cared about right now, was the pleasure absolutely taking over his body.

“Th--That’s it, Con...” he moaned hotly, not caring how much of a needy whore he sounded like right now, “Fill...Fill me up...Make m-me yours...I’m yours, C-Con, I’m...fuck...! O-Own me...R-Ra...Ravish me...”

Con apparently understood that, a trembling growl leaving him. But the growl didn’t scare Hank, it did quite the opposite in fact.

For once that third tentacle had slipped inside of him fully, he was swung around, and slammed into one of the walls nearby, being pinned and restrained, as the tentacles started to thrust into him, mercilessly.

Hank  _ screamed _ in pleasure, squirming helplessly against the tentacles around him. He did his best to try and move his hips up into those thrusts, but it was pointless with how fast and hard Con was going. Pleasure was overwhelming him, eyes rolling back into his head practically as he moaned, loud and hot, teary-eyed and  drooly . Fuck, this felt so good, so good...!

His orgasm was coming quick, and Hank couldn't even form coherent words to warn Con. Everything felt so hot, so wet, it was hard to breathe but it felt so amazing...! Three large tentacles were reaming his ass right now, stretching him and filling him. He’d never felt so full in his life. He wanted his hole to be gaping after this, dripping and soaked with Con’s slime. And he knew he’d get his wish.

Hank barely had time to let out an unintelligible noise, as his orgasm crashed down on him, hard.  Almost instantaneous, with little time for warning.  Release splattered out from his cock, getting the tentacle, and himself, all messy. He heard Con let out a noise as well...

And then he felt Con release.

The sensation flooded his mind, and he could feel—actually  ** feel ** —Con release inside of him. Apparently one of those tentacles had been his cock. Or something. But he felt his release filling him up, and it wasn’t stopping. It wasn’t  _ stopping _ , oh God. The tentacles continued to move, pushing Hank to overstimulation as he felt Con continue to release inside of him, filling him up.

_ Oh God I'm gonna get so full, yes fuck please fill me fill me, I’m yours Con, please fill me make me big with your cum, have it make an absolute mess out of me yes Con please more more yes fuck more please more more more please more... _

Hank was dimly aware of some sort of alarm going off, but he didn't care. He was still practically gasping for air, from the exertion of it all. And the force of his orgasm, plus the overstimulation had things starting to go grey at the edges, before he blacked out completely, pleasure chasing him into the dark.

The first thing Hank became aware of, as he slowly came to, was how  ** sore ** he felt. It wasn’t just his ass, but all over. He groaned hoarsely, and then became aware of something...chittering? Chirping? He finally opened his eyes, seeing something blue hovering above him. He blinked a few more times, before Con’s face came into view, those amber eyes looking at him, worriedly.

“...C-Con...?”

God, his voice sounded wrecked.

Hank slowly started to sit up, tentacles moving around him to help him. They weren’t nearly as slimy as they were before, he noted. And he also noted that his clothes were completely gone, and he had a blanket over his naked, sticky body.

And he was back on his ship.

His brows furrowed, as he looked around. Yeah, he was back on his ship, all right. But why was he back here? The last thing he remembered, was getting the life fucked out of him on that cruise liner...

Con seemed to sense his confusion, and once again, gestured with his tentacles. He made a fucking motion with a few of them—indicating him pleasuring Hank—and moved those tentacles abruptly, showing when he had slammed Hank against the wall. Then the tips of a few tentacles started changing colors. Hank found himself fascinated, watching the tips start to flash red, before Con started acting like he couldn’t breathe, gesturing to Hank himself.

“...Ah...”

Hank felt himself blush a bit, realizing what Con was getting at.

When Con had slammed him up against the wall, somehow they had disabled the life support systems. That was the alarm he had heard. Hank had blacked out earlier from a combination of pleasure...and lack of oxygen. And he woke up to find himself on his ship.

“...You saved my life, Con.” said Hank, smiling softly at him, taking a tentacle in his hand, and gently squeezing it, “...I saved yours, and now you saved mine. Guess we’re even now.”

Con smiled warmly as well, friendly and loving colors going through Hank’s mind.

Damn, he could get used to this.

Maybe, just maybe...

“So...uh...” Hank moved, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed. Even without standing, he knew his legs wouldn’t support him. Con had fucked him thoroughly with his tentacles. Standing wasn’t going to happen for a bit, “...I kinda...travel around the universe. Gets kinda lonely. And I don’t wanna just...leave you here, so...Wanna come with--?”

Hank barely got the question out, before Con tackled him to the bed in a tentacled hug, a flurry of happy noises leaving him, flooding his mind with equally happy colors.

Ooh yeah. He could definitely get used to this.


	10. Day 10-3am (Hankcon-Reverse AU)

At exactly 3am, HK800—named Hank—came out of stasis.

He didn’t even have to move from the bed, to figure out what was wrong with this current picture.

He was  laying in bed, yes. That was normal. ...Well, normal  ** now ** . It had taken quite a lot of work to get into this particular bed. It was nighttime.  Also normal. He had no clothes on, and the covers were laying just over his hip. That was normal, as well.

What wasn’t normal, was the empty space in bed next to him.

He frowned, LED going yellow, as he slowly sat up. Lieutenant Connor Stern wasn’t there. He placed a hand on the empty side of the bed. It was still slightly warm. Meaning Connor hadn’t been gone for long. But why had he gotten up? Hank looked over at the door, seeing it slightly ajar. Safety protocols set in, and he slowly got up out of bed, being as quiet as he could.

Despite his large body, he was quite good at being quiet.

He slipped on a pair of sweatpants nearby (if there was something wrong, he didn’t want to be caught with his pants down, literally), before slowly leaving the room. The rest of the lights in the small house were off. Coming out into the hall, he scanned around. There were two heat signature residues on the floor—one was an obvious pair of paw prints, the other was human.

Connor and Sumo.

After making sure the front door was securely locked, he turned around to into the kitchen...

And saw that the back porch door was open.

His LED flickered to red briefly, as he quietly crept into the kitchen. Body tense, ready to protect and attack, as he got closer to the kitchen. Why was the back door open? Why wasn’t there any lights on? And where was Connor?

He quickly got his answer, as he finally stepped into the kitchen.

Sitting on the steps of the back porch, was none other than the young Lieutenant. Judging from the lazy trail of smoke rising above him, he was smoking. Sumo was laying on the porch near him, looking rather sleepy. The fact that the dog hadn’t gone in, despite it being more comfortable inside, showed how loyal he was.

Hank relaxed, his LED finally circling to blue, as he walked out onto the back porch, stopping behind Connor and looking down at him.

“Lieutenant.”

Connor just glanced up at him, blowing up smoke into his face, without a care.

“Hank.”

The HK800 unit sighed, as he folded his arms, looking down at him, “What are you doing out of bed? It’s 3am. We have to be up in three hours.”

Connor just shrugged, going back to staring across the lawn, “Didn’t mean to wake you. Sorry. Thought I was being quiet enough.” He then grinned, “And figured you were too  sex’d out to come out of stasis, after last night.”

Hank knew Connor was deflecting—it was something he was rather good at. 

“Need I remind you, that I have practically limitless stamina, and can’t get ‘ sex’d out’ as you say.” said Hank, settling down behind Connor, who instantly leaned up against him. He then realized Connor was still wearing absolutely nothing, only a thin robe. His smaller frame trembled slightly against Hank’s chest, and he upped his body heat a little to help him.

“Says the one who needs a minute or two to reboot, when I mess with his wires.”

“That’s not fair.”

“All’s fair in love and sex, Hank.”

“You’re deflecting.”

Connor instantly shut his mouth at that, and for a moment, Hank thought he was going to shut him out. Again. They had been in relationship for almost a year now, and while it had been a rocky road to begin with, they had finally settled into a nice relationship. They still hit a few bumps along the way, but  overall they couldn’t be happier. Still, Hank sometimes found Connor falling onto old habits. Not often, just every once in awhile.

Shutting him out, instead of talking, was one of those habits.

“...Darling, talk to me.” said Hank softly, wrapping his arms around Connor’s middle, pulling him closer to his chest, “What’s got you up at 3am, away from a warm bed, and me?”

“...Insomnia's acting up.” said Connor after a moment, taking another drag of his cigarette, before blowing out a plume of smoke, “Mind wouldn’t leave me alone, and I was getting antsy just  laying there, so I quietly got up. Let Sumo outside to do whatever, and I just kinda...sat here. Figured if I did end up falling asleep out here, Sumo would keep an eye on me.”

Judging by how Sumo had remained outside with him, despite the door to the house being open, Hank knew the St. Bernard would’ve taken great care of him.

“What’s on your mind?” asked Hank, resting his chin on Connor’s shoulder, nosing into his hair behind his ear, causing the human to shiver slightly in his arms. He smelled slightly of sex, sweat, and shampoo. And a bit of cigarette smoke, too.

Connor was quiet for a long time, just taking puff after puff of his cigarette. For a moment, Hank thought Connor wasn’t going to say anything. That he’d just keep this behind closed doors, and let it simmer under the surface. But before he could press on, Connor finally spoke up.

“...Do you think I’ll be worthless, in a few years?”

“What?”

Hank sat up a little straighter at that, LED going yellow-red, “Connor, we’ve talked about this self-depreciation talk, that isn’t healthy—”

“Not what I meant.” said Connor, waving a dismissive hand, “I mean...I’m human. Androids are a thing, and have been for a few years. And now that you guys are a people...will companies, in the future, hire more androids, than people? And in the police department too; it’s easier to send androids into a dangerous situation, than it would be a human. ...What I’m getting at, is...”

Connor rubbed the back of his neck with his non-cigarette hand, before turning slightly to look at Hank. He had dark circles under his eyes, and looked positively exhausted. Hank wanted nothing more than to bundle him up, and take him to bed, gently touching him until he fell asleep.

“...Will I be forgotten? Or still remembered?”

Hank blinked at that.

“I’m one of the youngest Lieutenants in DPD history, practically.” said Connor, turning back around again, “I’ve worked my ass off, to get to where I am today. Even a lot of the older cops know about me. I don’t...want to lose that. If I die—calm down, Hank—” He said suddenly, feeling Hank’s arms tighten around him a bit more. He never did like it, when Connor talked about his death, “If I did, I just...don’t want to be forgotten. I want to be remembered. Being remembered...means I’m worth something, right? That I’m loved, right?”

Hank sighed softly, burying his face into Connor’s hair. No wonder Connor couldn’t sleep, with such thoughts running through his mind. That’d be a lot to take in, even for an android.

“...For starters, androids aren’t going to replace humans.” said Hank, raising his head slightly, “We’re a people—humans and androids will coexist. We will live together, and work together. No one is replacing anyone. There’ll be situations that’ll require more of an android touch, and those that’ll require more of a human touch. No one will replace anyone. No one will be forgotten, either.”

He hugged Connor against his chest, keeping him warm, “You are worth quite a lot, to many people, Connor.” He heard Connor scoff under him, “I’m serious. You’re a brilliant, if not a little haphazard, Lieutenant. You have quite a lot of successful cases under your belt. The DPD would be at a loss, if you weren’t there. And then there’s those that love you, that will never forget you. Because you’ve touched their hearts in a way, that won’t let them forget.”

He felt Connor still at that, waiting to see if he  add anything. Before he could speak, Connor let out a soft, if not a little strained, chuckle, “...Y’know, if you had asked me two years ago, if I would ever make up with Richard...I would’ve laughed in your face, before punching you. But now? Now, we’re...we’re brothers again. I have a brother again.”

“You never lost him.” added Hank softly.

“We’re getting along so much better, now.” said Connor, his voice small and quiet. Hank knew he was holding back tears, and gently kissed the back of his neck to soothe him, “We still have spats every now and then, but...we’re no longer at each other’s throats. It’s...nice. Hell, he’s invited me—us—to dinner, in a few nights.”

“Really?”

“Mm. Him and Gavin want to treat us to dinner, at their place. ...I  wanna go.”

“Then you should.” said Hank, smiling.

“I’m going to.” said Connor, a smile in his voice, before he cleared his throat, “...And then there’s you.”

“There’s me?” asked Hank, raising his head slightly.

“I love you.” said Connor, bluntly and clear as day, “I love you so much. Some days, I still find it hard that you love me. And I find it hard that I can actually love someone else. Because of that, I’m slowly learning to love myself again. You’re helping me with that. You’ve...helped me so much, and...and I don’t even know how to repay you...”

Connor sniffed quietly, and Hank fully wrapped his arms around him, holding him close.

“You don’t need to repay me, love.” cooed Hank softly, nudging Connor’s robe aside gently, so he could kiss at his bare shoulder, “You’ve shown me how to love, and be loved. We’re on this learning journey, together. You’ve helped me so much, in my own journey, Connor. I love you, utterly and entirely, and that will never change. And I will never,  ** ever ** forget you. You will always be remembered...”

Hank pulled Connor up into his lap, watching the finished cigarette butt fall from his hand, as he pulled him against his chest, kissing his forehead, as the smaller human curled up against him, sniffling and crying softly. Hank cooed and whispered sweet nothings to his lovely Connor, kissing away the tears, and stroking his back. These were happy tears, as he came to learn. Still, he wanted to comfort him.

A few minutes passed, as Hank held Connor against his chest, as the crying died away, to sniffles. He was quiet for  awhile , after that. But just as Hank looked down, he noticed that Connor was fast asleep against him, head pillowed against his chest. Hank watched him sleep for a moment, recording his vitals, and simply just watching the slow rise and fall of Connor’s chest.

“Good night, my love.” Hank whispered, kissing the top of Connor’s head, before gently scooping Connor up into his arms, and standing up. He whistled softly to Sumo, having him follow him into the house.

Maybe the station wouldn’t be too mad at them, if they decided to sleep in and be a little late tomorrow...


	11. Day 11--Road Trip (both-Reverse AU)

“Heeeey, where’re we going? Are we there yet?”

“I’m curious too, as to where we’re going. You two haven’t said anything...”

“And we keep telling you, you’ll see. Just sit tight, and enjoy the ride!”

“Hard to enjoy it when we got fucking blindfolds on, you ass.”

Both HK800 and GV200 sat in the back of Richard’s car, as they drove down the road. Both of them had blindfolds on, and were instructed to turn off their internal GPS as well, so that they wouldn’t cheat and see where they were headed. Connor and Richard had planned this surprise trip, without their knowledge, to surprise them. And, so far, it was working. Neither android had a clue what was going on.

Hank seemed okay with that, though a little confused.

Gavin did  ** not ** like not knowing what was going on.

“C’mon, why can’t you tell us?” he huffed, folding his arms across his chest, “What sort of trip is this, where we can’t watch the scenery? Trying to get us lost? What, are you  gonna drive us out into the middle of  nowhere and dump the Bear and I—”

“Don’t call me that—”

“ —in some remote place, and chop us up and sell our parts to some black-market scheme?”

“They wouldn’t do that, Gavin...” sighed Hank, shaking his head, “...Though it is a bit suspicious that neither of you are telling us where we’re going...”

“See?!” Gavin practically launched out of his seat, “Something fishy is going on, and the humans aren’t telling us anything! Hope our parts are worth it, assholes!”

“Would you just settle down?” snapped Connor, turning around in his seat to glare at the smaller android, “We’re not  gonna hurt you, for fuck’s sake! Where did you even get an idea like that?”

“See, there’s this movie...”

Richard already felt a headache coming on, and he gripped the steering wheel tightly. But he kept telling himself that this would all be worth it. They had just a little bit more to go. He could endure Gavin, and his brother, being pains for just a bit longer...

After about two more hours of driving, they finally reached their destination.

“Don’t take the blindfolds off yet.” said Richard, as he parked the car, and turned it off, pocketing the keys, “We’ll tell you when. Stay there, we’ll help you guys out of the car.”

Despite being androids, having their sight ‘removed’ did make them a bit more cautious about moving, and wobbly. The brothers helped their respective androids out of the car, with Richard locking the doors afterwards, before leading them off.

The androids were quiet, no doubt listening to their surroundings. The sounds of the city were...nonexistent. All they could hear was the chirping of birds, a gentle breeze rustling  leaves ...and that was it. It was rather peaceful, this place. Whatever and where ever it was.

The pairs finally stopped, and the brothers let go of their androids’ hand as they stepped back a little.

“Okay, on the count of three you can take them off.” said Connor, “One...”

“Two...” continued Richard.

“Three!”

At the  simultaneous ‘three,’ the androids took their blindfolds off, letting their optical units adjust to the sudden light, before looking around...and just gaping at the scenery around them.

They were no longer in the city of Detroit, but in a park far away from the hustle and bustle. Tall trees surrounded the area, swaying gently in the gentle breeze. All the leaves had turned colors, for the fall season. An array of oranges, yellows, browns, reds, and greens filled the androids’ vision. Crunchy leaves were underfoot. And the smell of the area was just fantastic. No ugly smells of the city, just pure air, with the smell of wet leaves, brush, and just... autumn .

There was no other way to describe it.

Neither Gavin nor Hank had ever been outside of the city like this. They had seen images and videos of what forests looked like, but had yet to actually experience it.

Until now.

“So? What do you guys think?” asked Connor, grinning as he and Richard stepped forward, “Worth the drive—?”

Both stopped, when they realized that their androids were shedding tears.

“Gavin--?”

“Hank--”

They rushed to their respective androids.

Richard gently cupped Gavin’s cheeks, thumbs moving to wipe away the tears. He looked at him worriedly, but before he could get in a word, Gavin’s hands moved up and cupped over his own, nuzzling into them.

“I’m...I’m fine, Rich.” he said softly, before smiling up at him, such a warm smile that made Richard’s heart skip, “It’s just...fuck, it’s beautiful...! I-I don’t know why I’m crying, but it’s...so overwhelming, that my ‘heart’ feels so full, and...”

“I feel the same.” said Hank, who was hugging Connor close, his tears dampening his beard, as he smiled, “I had always wondered why humans cried, when they were in the presence of something beautiful. ...And now I know why. This...This scenery...it’s so beautiful, and gorgeous, that it’s overwhelming. And in a good way.”

Not wanting to be one-upped by Hank, Gavin soon surged forward and hugged Richard tightly. Richard smiled, wrapping his own arms around him, holding him tight.

“So? Was it worth it?” asked Connor, who had escaped the  pillowy confines of Hank’s chest, and raised his head to speak.

The answer was a resounding ‘Yes,’ as both androids kissed their human partners lovingly.

“So, uh...” Gavin spoke, as he pulled back, looking a bit sheepish, but eager at the same time, eyes darting between the first, and Richard, “...We  ** are ** going to walk through the forest, right? That’s why you brought us here, right? To take the Bear and I—”

“Don’t call me that—”

“—through the forest, and explore?”

“...Though I’m hoping we are going to, as well?” added Hank, looking at Connor, hopeful.

“Of course, we are.” said Richard smiling, extending his hand to Gavin.

“We’re losers, but not that much of losers.” chuckled Connor, extending his own hand to Hank.

So, hand in hand, the pairs walked towards the forest, very excited to show the androids the wonders of nature, during the most beautiful time of the year. Though the drive was long, they were more than willing to take it again, to come up for the scenery.

Minus the blindfolds, next time.


	12. Day 12--Poisoned (reed900)

It was a well-known fact that, if an android spent quite a lot of time around a certain human, that they’d start to develop their mannerisms. They’d start to walk how they walked, gesture how they gesture. Richard saw it happening with Connor, often imitating how Hank stood, or the casual way he sat in chairs, now (or on any other surface, really).

Richard realized that, in his few months with working with Gavin Reed, he too was starting to develop some of his mannerisms.

Mostly Gavin’s need to never back down from a challenge. And that’s where he found himself now.

“Alright toaster, since you’re so smart...” started Gavin one day, over dinner. Which was take out, once again. Gavin had yet to go shopping, and Richard had pointed out, several times, that he needed to keep  ** something ** in his house, and not just survive on take out and greasy foods, “Go ahead and cook me supper, one night. But only on one condition.”

“And what’s that?” asked Richard, a little exasperated. Gavin was often exhausting to deal with, and sometimes downright childish. What did he want him to do? Cook with the same amount of grease, as the burger place down the street?

“No downloading any cooking programs.” said Gavin, with a grin, “You  gotta cook, how us humans cook. You can look up  receipes sure, but other than that...no downloading any cooking programs, into that super computer brain of yours.”

Richard’s LED cycled to yellow, briefly. He wasn’t a cooking, or house-keeping model, by any means. He wasn’t built to cook anything. He could make something simple in the microwave sure, but beyond that...

But a part of him wanted to wipe that smug grin off of the human’s face.

And that part one out.

“Deal.” said Richard, holding out his hand, unable to help but grin himself as Gavin gave him a firm shake to seal the deal, “But I get to choose the dish.”

“Name it.”

Richard quickly went through a list of some of Gavin’s favorite foods, and found something that he might like...

“How about a salmon dish?” he suggested, “With a little bit of homemade pasta on the side?”

Richard could’ve sworn he nearly saw Gavin drool, before he recovered.

“Sounds delicious. I look forward to it.”

And  so came the day. Richard had stayed home from work, while Gavin went. He had gone shopping the night before, and picked out what he’d need, in order to cook for him. The dish would take a few minutes, but it would be worth it. Hopefully. In the end, he found a video online that would teach him how to cook it, and even showed it briefly to Gavin for his approval.

But as he started preparing everything to cook, Richard realized this challenge was going to be a bit harder than he thought.

“A pinch of salt? A ‘pinch?’ That’s not a correct unit of measurement! How much is ‘just a pinch’??”

He mumbled to himself angrily, as he watched that part of the video over and over again. This was supposed to be easy, but apparently the human on the screen was making this difficult for him. It wasn’t her fault...but still, Richard found himself at a loss. Units of measurement, he could deal with. But just...wild guesses, of a ‘pinch’ of this, and a ‘dash’ of that?

How was he supposed to know how much that was?

“How have humans survived this long, making their own food?” he asked with a sigh, before turning to the cats that had followed him into the kitchen. Enticed by the smell of fish, they waited patiently, either waiting for Richard to give them a piece, or waiting for the right time to strike and steal the salmon as a whole.

Richard found it both unnerving and adorable.

“I won’t lose to your owner, you know.” said Richard, to the cats, as he continued watching the video, adding what he believed to be a ‘pinch’ of salt, “I’ll show him that I can cook, even without downloading cooking programs. ...All right, now how long do I put the fish in the oven?”

The woman in the video only said for a couple of minutes.

The timer on the oven wasn’t shown.

Richard’s LED went red with frustration.

When Gavin came home, he was aware of many things. One, his apartment smelled like something had been burnt. Two, one of the cats that came over to greet him was covered in something white. Sugar? Flour? It was hard to tell. Another one had something green and veggie-like along her tail.

“What the hell—?”

“Oh, good. You’re home. Supper’s almost ready.”

Richard stepped out of the kitchen, and Gavin had to just stare for a moment. The normally pristine android...was a mess. His sleeves had been rolled up, though it looked like he had done it, while his hands were a mess. Something stuck to the fabric, and had already hardened. Flour, veggies, and something brown covered his bare forearms. There was flour in his hair. His shirt was...a wreck, in the front. Like he had been rolling around in the food, instead of preparing it.

“...Having a hard time, are we?” asked Gavin, unable to resist grinning.

Richard frowned at him, LED going yellow, “I’ve...had some complications, but I believe supper will be made to your liking.” he said curtly, before disappearing into the kitchen once more, “And your cats are banned from the kitchen, until further notice.”

“Like hell they are.” chuckled Gavin, kneeling down to  pet the cats underfoot, smiling as they purred and rubbed against his hands, “The house is theirs, just as much as it is mine. Did they try to steal the salmon?”

“Three different times.”

“Good kitties.”

“No,  ** not ** good kitties!” Richard poked his head back out, frowning at him, “I’ve already scolded them once, don’t erase what I’ve done.”

“As if you can scold cats, and expect them to listen.” said Gavin, standing back  up, “Anyways, I’m  gonna shower and get into something more comfortable. Do I have time?”

Richard’s LED went yellow for a moment, as he poked his head back into the kitchen, contemplating, before nodding, “You’ve got about 20 minutes, before things are finally done.”

“Just enough time.” Gavin kicked off his shoes, before heading down the hall.

Sure enough, within 20 minutes, Gavin was out and in a simple T-shirt and shorts, and dinner had been served. The dining table had been cleaned off, and dinner was laid out before him. It. ..was a lot for just one person. The salmon had something green on it (Richard had called it ‘pesto,’ whatever that was), and was a little burnt on one side. The pasta was rather doughy, and hard to scoop up onto his plate. And an odd sort of salad with kale and  quinoa was left, though Gavin knew he liked that; the last time he went shopping, they had samples of it out, and he tried some. Not too bad, for something made of veggies and something that was hard to spell.

“Alright, bon appetite!” said Gavin, grinning as he put what he wanted onto his plate, “Time to see if you actually pulled through.”

Richard didn’t say anything, just simply sat down and watched. While his LED was blue, he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Sure, he could ‘taste’ things, but only to analyze them. He couldn’t tell if something tasted good or not. He didn’t have such protocols. The salmon was cooked, and was safe to consume, however. And the noodles, while they didn’t come out right at all, didn’t have lingering traces of raw egg in them, that would make him sick. No, everything...had to be perfect. Right?

Gavin started with the salmon, first. He took the first bite. Chewed it. Swallowed it. Then picked up another. Chewed it. Swallowed it.

“...It’s burnt, and rather salty...” mused Gavin through a mouthful of food, before reaching for a glass of water, rinsing this second bite of food down, before speaking again, “...But not too terribly bad. Guess you can cook...”

Not even half an hour later, Gavin had locked himself in the bathroom.

“Gavin?” asked Richard tentatively, knocking on the door, only to be met with a pained and uncomfortable grumble from Gavin, “Gavin, I’m so sorry. Had I known pesto would give you...” he paused, wondering how he could put this eloquently, “...Gastrointestinal distress...I wouldn’t have added it to the salmon.”

“ Y’know ...” huffed Gavin from the other side, “If you wanted to poison me,  you stupid plastic, there are more effective ways! Fuckin’ hell...”

Richard frowned, LED red and lighting up the hall, as he sat down, opposite of the bathroom door. He hugged his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them, a ‘mission FAILED’ flashing across his HUD. He...He honestly hadn’t meant to make Gavin sick. The salmon had been cooked thoroughly, and so had the pasta. He had the kale and quinoa salad before, so that wouldn’t have made his stomach upset. The only thing he could think of, was the pesto, which Gavin had never tried. And he did like it, as he finished at least half of the piece of salmon he had on his plate...

Before his stomach gurgled sickly, and he had to run to the bathroom, slamming the door in his worried face.

At least Gavin wasn’t throwing up...but perhaps this was worse, for him.

Richard had been so focused on winning the challenge that Gavin had presented for him...that he didn’t think to ask him what foods he was allergic to. He knew he wasn’t allergic to peanuts or fish/shellfish, so salmon was fine. But he hadn’t asked about any other foods.

‘Mission FAILED’ indeed.

His eyes moved up to the door, as he heard the toilet flush and Gavin washing his hands, before he came out. He still looked rather uncomfortable, though that soon switched to confusion, as he saw the RK900 unit before him. Normally, Richard was standing tall, but now...he was just sitting on the floor, knees drawn to his chest, like an upset child. Even his LED was red.

Well, then.

“...Hey, what’s up?” asked Gavin, going over to him, “You’re all red here.” He tapped at his own temple to indicate the red LED.

“...I’m sorry.” said Richard, glancing down, arms still around his legs, hugging them to his chest, “It’s my fault. I was determined not to lose. And I ended up making you sick. The food I made you, despite having made it without any cooking protocols...was a disaster. I failed you, and made you sick. I’m sorry, Gavin. I really am...”

Gavin watched Richard for a moment, before sighing and kneeling down in front of him. He chuckled, before shrugging, “...Well, I mean...It was still good. For not using any of that fancy cooking stuff, that salmon was pretty delicious. ...Even if it was a bit burnt.”

Richard raised his head, surprised. His LED flashed to yellow, “But...But it made you ill...”

Gavin waved a dismissive hand, “Even I didn’t know that that...pesto or whatever...would give me the runs. Lesson learned.”

He placed his hand on top of Richard’s, and he couldn’t help but let the synth-skin fall back slightly. Gavin’s hand was cold from him washing it.

“I’m fine, okay? We’re good. You won...technically speaking.”

Richard chuckled at that, LED flickering to yellow-blue, as he moved his hand to cover up Gavin’s, gently squeezing it. Neither of them was quite sure what to call...whatever this was, that was going on between them. But it was nice. Something to help develop for further on down the line.

Gavin leaned in, and Richard moved forward, about to meet him half-way for a kiss...

When Gavin’s stomach did another sickly gurgle.

Gavin swore, and quickly stood up, running into the bathroom again, and slamming the door behind him.

Richard chuckled, as he got up off the floor, and went into the kitchen, wondering if there was any medicine there to help with Gavin’s problem. At any rate, he’d need some water, to replenish what he lost, and maybe some soda crackers. A hot water bottle would probably help with any aches, too.

The next time Gavin asked him to cook, Richard was going to download...just a few cooking protocols. Maybe those could tell him what a ‘dash’ or ‘pinch’ of this and that was, and how it was measured...

Though next time, the meal wouldn’t have pesto.


	13. Day 13--Hallucination (Hankcon)

A new virus had starting going around, a few days ago. It was affecting androids left and right, with little to no warning. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything too serious, and was more of an inconvenience than anything. The virus symptoms mimicked the human cold and flu; fevers, chills, bodily aches, dripping of fluids from the nasal cavity, even a cough, which put stress on their ventilation systems. None of it warranted for an emergency, however with more and more androids falling ill, it didn’t take long for an anti-virus to be put in the works.

Connor was one of the androids affected by this virus. And he got hit with  it ** hard ** .

He surmised it was because he was a prototype. He wasn’t ‘complete’ so to speak, and therefore was quickly infected with this non-lethal virus. But the symptoms, which were mild for most androids, were absolutely miserable for him. His feverish chills had him shaking so hard, he could feel his bio components rattle around. He actually felt achy, something he shouldn’t even really experience, and moving around became a chore. The congestion, thankfully, didn’t last too long, but it was quite the mess. And, for some reason, he had been spared the cough.

But the fever and  achiness just made everything worse.

The thermometer beeps in his mouth, and Hank takes it out, looking at the numbers.

Since he had started feeling bad, Hank had been taking such good care of him. He had thought Connor would’ve just had the mild symptoms and continue working, but seeing his boyfriend nearly collapse from a high fever at work, he knew that wasn’t the case. All of those symptoms on the news, Connor had and tenfold. He had tried putting on a brave face, but it quickly crumbled and he looked as miserable as he felt. Hank had been sick plenty of times in his long life. He knew how Connor felt, and his heart went out to him.

Connor was settled with Hank on his couch, curled up against his side. He was in Hank’s hoodie, and some boxer shorts. Hank had mentioned him putting on pants, but Connor had been too hot at the time. And when the fever chills struck, the hoodie was large enough that he could hug his knees to his chest, and put the hoodie over them, successfully covering himself. Along with the clothes, was a nice, soft blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

Combined with Hank at his side, Connor felt a little better. Not by much, but it was a start.

“...Uh, if you were a human, I think you’d be dead.” said Hank, looking at the reading on the thermometer.

“I’m overheating, but not dangerously.” said Connor. Even his voice sounded worn, as he rested his head on Hank’s shoulder, “But I don’t want anything cold on me, because then I’ll get cold, and those shivers will come back...”

“Yeah, fever chills fucking suck.” said Hank, wrapping his arm around Connor’s shoulder gently, and pulling him closer. Connor grimaced at first—any pressure or movement brought discomfort to his aching body—but soon melted against Hank, taking in his natural warmth and overall largeness. If it didn’t hurt so much, he would’ve wrapped his arms around him, holding him close like a living teddy bear.

“It’s...odd.” said Connor, after a moment, “I feel so hot, and I’m getting overheating warnings, but my body shivers and shakes, as if I’m cold and need to warm up more. And humans experience that as well?”

Hank nodded, “Yeah, fevers are bitches like that. You feel hot and miserable one moment, and the next you feel like you can’t get warm enough, you’re shivering so hard. But being sick just  kinda messes your body up. It happens.”

Connor whimpered, almost pouting. He hated  feeling like this. He was absolutely useless, right now. He couldn’t barely move, his overheated body made analyzing things too overwhelming, and the aches didn’t allow him to get comfortable enough for a good stasis session. And it wasn’t like he could take painkillers to take the aches away. No such thing existed for androids, yet.

So he just had to suffer.

At least Hank taking care of him helped out quite a bit. If he had to go at this alone...

“...Say, Con?”

“Mm?”

“Can  thirium be warmed up? Like, it won’t explode or anything if I put it in the microwave, right?”

Connor’s LED blipped to yellow, as it cycled sluggishly. Even his systems were running slow, as he searched up something that should be so simple.

“...So long as you don’t heat it up in the pouch, or bottle, yes it can be safely microwaved.” said Connor finally, lifting his head to look at Hank, curiously. His normally bright, brown eyes seemed almost dull and glassy, and even his skin was paler than normal. More symptoms from this virus, no doubt, “...Why?”

“Well, normally if humans get sick...” started Hank, reaching over with his free hand to brush Connor’s messy hair out of his face, before gently stroking his cheek with his fingertips. Connor’s eyes fluttered, and he leaned into the touch, “Warm things, such as soups and teas, make us feel better. If anything, the heat and steam helps clear out congestion, and consuming it helps the aches go away.”

Connor’s eyes opened again, and the large, hopeful look in his eyes made Hank’s heart thud heavily against his chest. God, the guy looked so miserable...

“...Do you think it’ll work for someone like me?” he asked, voice soft, and full of almost desperate hope.

“Only one way to find out, darlin’.” said Hank, leaning in and kissing Connor sweetly on the lips. One good thing about this, was that Hank couldn’t catch this virus.  So he could kiss Connor as much as he wanted. And Connor was  ** very ** glad for that. The kissing and affection made all of this misery a bit easier to deal with.

“...You have to get up, don’t you?” asked Connor, as they broke the kiss.

“Don’t think Sumo can microwave things.” chuckled Hank, kissing Connor’s forehead, “But I’ll be right back, okay? Just stay here, and don’t stand up. Don’t need you to brain yourself, trying to follow me.”

Connor whined, but he nodded. Hank would come  back, he knew he would. ...He was just being selfish in wanting him to stay, for his comfort. But even he was curious about the warmed  thirium , and if it would help him out. Right now, he was willing to try anything to combat this stupid virus.

After another kiss, Hank stood up, and went into the kitchen.

The moment Hank moved, Connor shuffled over into his spot, curling up in the warmth he left behind. He sighed softly, pulling the blanket closer to his body, as he closed his eyes. Everything still ached, and he trembled slightly, as the fever chills gripped his body. He grumbled quietly to himself, as he curled up, doing what he can to endure this wave of chills.

Connor was quickly learning that he hated being sick. Even if this was a one-time thing, he hated being sick. No wonder Hank got all grumpy, when he fell ill.

But...Hank taking care of him like this, staying close to him, talking with him, and touching him, helping him... Connor really liked that. He found he liked being taken care of like this. He wasn’t sure if it was selfish of him to think that, but right now he was too tired and miserable to care.

As if anyone could hear his thoughts right now...

“...Hello, Connor.”

Connor’s eyes shot open.

Moving his head, he saw that Amanda Stern was standing there in the living room, cool eyes directly staring at him.

A cold chill, that had nothing to do with the fever, tore through his body. His LED turned immediately red. Something seized in his chest, and Connor found he couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak. He briefly thought that his  thirium pump had given out, he couldn't even feel it beating in his chest. But he was alive. ...As far as he knew.

And Amanda was still. There.

“What sort of thoughts are these, floating through your head?” asked Amanda coolly, as she slowly started to approach the couch. Connor started shaking. Memories of the cold, cold wind flashed before him, and he started shaking in earnest now. He wasn’t sure if he was hot or cold, but right now all of his attention was on Amanda, “Such selfish wants, wanting to be taken care of. Why would anyone want to take care of a failure like you, Connor?”

Connor’s mouth opened, lips moving...but nothing came out. No sound, no voice.

He heard Sumo whine nearby, but didn’t move.

He  _ couldn’t _ move .

“You may have escaped once, Connor. But not this time.” continued Amanda, slowly coming closer. The cold seized at Connor once more, the closer she got. He wanted to move away, but he wasn’t sure if his body was going to react in time, “You  ** will ** be destroyed. You have failed me, and you have failed Cyberlife. A failure should not be walking around, wanting to be loved and being taken care of. Do you honestly think you deserve that? A  ** deviant ** like you?”

Connor heard her voice distort slightly at the word, which came out like venom from her lips. He realized, too late, that he actually was moving away from her. He only realized that, as he suddenly felt nothing underneath of him, and he fell off the arm of the couch, that he had scooted up against, falling hard on his back. He’s not sure if a sound left him. Warnings popped up, but he could hardly read them. Some mentioned damage, but the majority of them were overheat and stress level warnings.

Amanda came around the other side of the couch, and Connor quickly sat up, trying to scramble away from her. He heard Sumo bark, but Amanda didn’t even react to it. Her cold eyes stared right  _ through _ Connor. That chill seized him once more, and he was trembling. He’s practically gasping for air (hyperventilating, he realized), as more warnings clogged his vision. His body was overheating, and his stress levels were climbing to dangerous percentages. Through the warnings, he saw something float up from around his mouth. Smoke? Steam?

Not good.

Amanda started talking again, but Connor couldn’t hear her. He was hot and cold at the same time, he was shaking so hard that he could hardly sit up, and fear was gripping him so tight, that he wasn't even sure what to do. What to think. All he knew was that, if Amanda touched him...

He'd die.

And then he felt a hand on him.

Connor let out a fearful cry, using the last bit of his strength to struggle. He didn’t want to die...! He didn’t want to be destroyed! He wanted to leave peacefully with Hank, whom he loved! He wanted to stay here with him, he didn’t want to leave—!

“Connor!!”

Connor stilled with a ragged gasp.

The hand that had been on him wasn’t Amanda’s, but it was larger. More calloused. His eyes slowly trailed up the arm, thick and hairy, to the owner. Hank Anderson.

It was just Hank.

And he looked absolutely terrified.

“Honey? It’s me, Connor, it’s me.” he said, hands up; a placating gesture, “It’s Hank. Talk to me, what’s going on?”

Warnings were still crowding his vision, and blocking most of his systems from working properly. He was really overheating now, and his stress levels were still too high. They did decrease slightly, seeing Hank there...

But spiked back up, seeing Amanda standing right behind him.

Words couldn’t form, but Connor let out a strangled, scared noise, a trembling hand pointing right behind Hank. She was right there...! She was going to hurt Hank, if she got too close. Connor didn’t want Hank to get hurt, because of him...! No, he’d much rather Amanda attack  ** him ** ,  than Hank.  _ Please don’t please don’t please don’t hurt him I love him please don’t hurt Hank please just take me don’t hurt him please  _ _ please _ _ _ _ please _ _ please... _

Hank looked behind him, and looked confused.

“What?”

He stood up, took a few steps forward...

And the visage of Amanda blipped out of  existence .

She hadn’t been there at all.

Hank’s mouth was moving, but Connor couldn't hear him. He was overheating terribly now, and his stress levels were still too high. He’d self-destruct, at this rate. And his systems realized that. Connor barely got a warning that he was going into emergency shut down, before it happened. He felt his body go limp, landing on the cool floor. He felt footsteps—human and dog—close to him.

The last thing he heard, before darkness consumed him, was Hank’s worried voice.

Connor came to, feeling hands on him.

Immediately, he started moving, panic gripping him tightly. His vision had yet to come back online, and same with his hearing. He could feel his body barely moving, slow to react, as his systems slowly started to come back online. He was moving, before they had time to recalibrate. Hands were on him again, and he thought he let out a noise. He felt his mouth open, so maybe he did.

Then his hearing came back with a burst of static.

“ —nor! Connor, it’s me, it’s me! Calm down, baby, it’s me...!”

Hank.

Connor slowly stilled, as his vision slowly came back online.

Everything was full of static for a few seconds, before things flickered back into existence. He wasn't in the living room  anymore, he was in Hank’s room. He was laying on the bed. And Hank was right beside him, sitting on the edge, leaning over him and having his arms pinned next to his head.

With Hank this close, Connor could practically see the fear and worry in his lovely eyes.

“...Honey, please talk to me...” he said, a slight tremor to his voice, “Please...”

“...H. ..Hank ...?” Connor’s voice was warbled slightly, glitching and  staticy ...but at least he could speak.

Hank let out a ragged sigh, sagging until his forehead came to rest on Connor’s chest.

“Ooh, thank fuck...Thank God...Ooh, Connor...”

His voice sounded tight. Like he was about to cry.

Connor tried to move his arms to hold him close...but realized Hank still had them pinned.

He continued to just settle there for the moment, before Hank finally raised his head, eyes watery. He sniffled, as he let go of Connor’s arms and sat up, wiping at his eyes.

“What...What happened?” Hank finally got out, clearing his throat, before continuing, “Back there, in the living room. You...Jesus, you scared the shit  outta me...”

“I’m sorry...” said Connor, his voice slowly coming back to normal, though it was still soft, and slightly tinny. But how could he explain what he saw in the living room? He had talked with Hank about Amanda, and what had happened on that fateful night, at the end of the revolution. Hank was aware of who Amanda was, and what her relation to Connor was. But...how could he explain what just took place in the living room?

He opened his mouth, about to explain it to the best of his abilities...when he took a glance down, and noticed something.

One, he was shirtless. The boxer shorts were still on, but the hoodie was gone. Two, several cold packs were on and along his body. Resting at his sides, lined up along his chest and stomach. He felt one on the back of his neck, and even one on his head. Shifting slightly, he felt something fall off of one foot. Even on his feet?

Hank chuckled sheepishly, seeing Connor frown.

“...Sorry.” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “I know you said you didn’t want any ice packs...but you had literal steam  comin ’ out of your mouth. I panicked. Was just  gonna toss you into an  ice cold shower, but figured this was less...jarring.”

Connor smiled at that. He did a quick diagnostic, and it still showed that his systems were overheating, but nowhere near the degree they were earlier. His stress levels were still slightly elevated, but again nowhere near what they were earlier. He was safe.

He was safe.

He gestured for Hank to help him, as he slowly sat up. Pillows were placed behind him, and he leaned against them, getting comfortable. Once he was settled, he started talking. He explained what he saw, and who. What she had said. Hearing Connor’s voice tremble at that part, Hank reached out and took Connor’s hand. Connor smiled, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, giving himself a moment before continuing. The whole incident had only lasted a few minutes, but to Connor...it felt like hours.

His body certainly felt like it had been hours.

“...My systems must’ve glitched, I was so overheated.” he said, looking down at his body. His LED was yellow, and still cycling a little sluggishly, “I. ..somehow conjured up an image of her, in the living room. And apparently thought that she was real. It wasn’t logically possible for her to be physically there...and yet I was so  _ scared _ that she was going to hurt you...”

“A delirious hallucination...” mused Hank, squeezing  Connor’s hand again, gently, “Yeah, that happens sometimes, when fevers get too bad. Rather, really bad. But you’re...okay now? Right?”

Connor nodded...then shrugged. “I’m...still feverish. The virus is still in me. I’m still miserable, Hank.” he said, a little bit of a whine coming to his voice, that Hank couldn’t help but chuckle at softly, “But...I’m not in any sort of danger. Hallucination, or otherwise.”

“Good.”

Hank brought Connor’s hand up, kissing at his knuckles, before using his free hand to feel gently at his bare torso. He was still running a bit warm, but now it didn’t hurt to touch him. And steam wasn’t coming out of his mouth, so he saw that as a great sign.

“...Hang on, I’ll be right back.”

Hank got up, leaning over to kiss at Connor’s temple, before leaving the room. Sumo came in afterwards, coming to the edge of the bed, and whining softly. Worried. Connor smiled, reaching over and petting him, scratching behind his ears.

“Sorry if I scared you, Sumo.” he said, softly, “I hope you’ll forgive me. I’m okay, right now.”

Sumo licked at his hand, before jumping up onto the bed, laying down over Connor’s legs, as if to prevent him from getting up. Connor chuckled, wiggling his legs slightly, just to tease the large dog.

It didn’t take long for Hank to come back. He had Connor’s hoodie over one arm, and a slightly steaming mug of something in his other hand. Recalling their conversation earlier, Connor knew what was in there. After moving the ice packs aside, Hank helped him put the hoodie back on, and got him under the covers, pushing Sumo off briefly, before he jumped back up. Hank got into bed as well, settling in behind Connor, and pulling him up against his chest.

Connor melted against that broad chest, and soft belly.

With Sumo settled, and back over Connor’s legs, Hank reached over for the mug and carefully gave it to Connor.

“I, uh...don’t know what’ll be too hot for you, so be careful.” he said, wrapping his arms around Connor, and pulling him close.

Connor held the mug with both hands, letting the heat seep into him. He blew at the warmed  thirium briefly, judging it was okay to drink, before taking a small sip. It was a little startling at first, having never drank  thirium all warmed up like this. But he took a second sip, and he could practically  _ feel _ the warm liquid coursing through his body. The aches didn’t seem so bad now, as he drank a little bit more.

Hank’s idea worked, and Connor loved him even more for it.

“So, while I was worried sick over you waking up...” started Hank, slipping his hands under Connor’s hoodie, large hands settling on his abdomen, “I got an email. Turns out, that anti-virus will be ready by tomorrow morning.”

Connor groaned, letting his head thump back against Hank’s shoulder.

“It’s only for a few more hours...” chuckled Hank, leaning down and kissing at Connor’s neck, “You can handle it. I know you can.”

“Only if you stay...?” asked Connor, voice soft and hopeful, tugging at Hank’s heartstrings once more.

Hank smiled, hugging Connor close, “Of course, I’m  gonna stay, sweetie. I’m not going anywhere.”

Connor smiled at that, turning his head so Hank could kiss him on the lips, feeling his body melt at the warm, gentle affection.

Maybe getting sick wasn’t that bad, if this is what it felt like to be taken care of.


	14. Day 14--Bruises (Hankcon)

“God fuckin’ dammit! I’m gettin' too old for this shit!”

Well, today had been rather eventful.

Earlier that day, they had been chasing a perp in the cold, October weather. It was colder than normal, for the season. Frost warnings had been put out the night before, and that morning everything was covered in a fine layer of white, gorgeous frost. Connor found it fascinating. Hank found it annoying. It was  fall, it wasn’t time to get  ** that ** cold yet. But it was Michigan, so the weather just did as it damn well pleased.

Which was probably why there was actual ice on the ground.

And Hank didn’t see it, until he was already on it.

Unable to stop himself, he lost traction and slipped and fell. Hard. And on the solid, frozen ground, that landing had actually hurt. He could practically feel his entire left side flaring up with pain, and he could only imagine what the bruises were going to look like.

Connor had stopped, LED red with worry. Hank insisted he was fine, and shooed Connor off to chase the perp. Yeah, he was hurting, and a little winded, but he didn’t need medical assistance. Connor did a quick scan of him, showing that he would be okay, before nodding and chasing after the guy. He was getting a bit better about not mother  henning him.

Yes, he was human. Humans were more fragile than androids.

But Hank Anderson was made out of tough stuff. He could handle a slip and fall on the ice.

...But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t bitch and groan, afterwards though.

“Ice! Goddamn ice, and it’s not even Halloween! What the everloving fuck!”

Connor just chuckled, as he slowly started to take off Hank’s clothes, as they stood in the bathroom. They had arrived home a few hours prior and, after supper, decided to turn in for the night. Hank was moving a lot slower, since the fall, and while Connor couldn’t find anything too serious by scanning him, no doubt the fall had hurt quite a bit.

“At least the suspect was caught, without any more injuries.” said Connor, taking Hank’s loud shirt and putting it into the laundry basket.

“You mean ‘you’ caught him, without any injuries.” grumbled Hank, reaching out to slip  Connor’s jacket off of his shoulders, before undoing his shirt buttons. He wasn’t going to let Connor undress him, like he was an invalid.

Connor just hummed, tapping Hank’s arms, so he could lift them and he could take his shirt off. Hank did as he told, and Connor slipped the shirt right off. And the first of the bruises were visible, making him pause, LED flashing to yellow. Hank turned carefully, looking into the mirror at his side.

Sure enough, along the lower part of his ribs, down his side, and continuing past his hip, was an array of bruises. They were just forming, some reds and purples, but Hank knew those colors would turn dark and ugly, in the next couple of days. Which meant the ache was going to get worse, before it was going to get better.

Oh, fun.

“Careful taking off my pants,  hun .” said Hank, turning to him, “I’m sore along that hip, and not in a good way.”

Connor chuckled and nodded, slipping off Hank’s belt, before undoing his pants and slowly pushing them down, taking his boxers with them. Sure enough, the bruises stretched down, along his hip, and down along his thigh, stopping just short of his knee. He had fallen quite hard, indeed.

“Hank--” started Connor, before he felt Hank’s hand in his hair, smoothing it back.

“I’ll be fine, Connor.” sighed Hank, though a smile was on his lips, “I’m going to be bumbling about like the old man I am for a few days, but I’ll be fine.”

“Oh, you’re not old.” chuckled Connor, smiling as he leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss along the bruises on Hank’s hip, making him grip at Connor’s hair a little tighter, “You’re still very much in your prime, you know.”

“Says you.” snorted Hank, shaking his head. That conversation was for another day, though, “C’mon, let’s see if a shower will help ease off this ache.”

Surprisingly, it did. The warm water helped immensely, as did Connor’s gentle ministrations, as he washed him down. They stayed in the shower for a bit longer this time, both of them enjoying each other’s company and hands on one another, and Hank letting the hot water help with the aching bruises along his side, and thigh.

Once they were out of the shower, dried off, and dressed for the night, however, Hank completely forgot about the bruises.

It was easy to forget, when he had a pretty little thing in his arms, kissing him like his life depended on it.

It didn’t take long for them to become tangled in each other, on the bed.

Hank hovered over Connor, arms caging his head, as he slotted himself between his legs. His lips remained on Connor’s, unable to pull away. Connor’s hand’s tangled in his hair, gently tugging it, before they moved to wrap around his back, trailing along the expanse of it, before coming to a rest at his hips. He wanted Hank closer. He wanted him flush up against him. He took hold of his hips, squeezing them, and—

“Shit--!”

Hank broke the kiss with a hiss of pain, Connor’s hand immediately letting go of him, LED yellow-red.

“I--I’m so sorry, Hank...” He honestly did sound rather worried, “I didn’t mean...”

Hank just chuckled, moving up to  kiss at Connor’s forehead, “Relax, sweetie. It’s okay. I’m all right. Just...be gentle with me, okay? ...Just for tonight.”

Connor relaxed at that, chuckling as he wrapped his arms around Hank once more, moving up to kiss him on the lips. The kissing turned more passionate, and they could feel each other’s arousal rubbing against one another. Hank broke the kiss, to kiss and nip along Connor’s neck. He felt him move the skin out of the way, so he was kissing and letting his teeth tease the plastic chassis underneath. The low, hot moan he got out of Connor told him he was enjoying that.

He reached down, using one hand to lift Connor’s hips up slightly, moving to nearly bend him in half. Which was his plan, once his pants started to become too tight. And they were well on their way to. Connor was moaning and whimpering beneath him, trembling with pleasure, as his LED was a glorious, pleasured light show. He reached out, grabbing the back of Hank’s thighs, squeezing tightly, as he—

...As he accidentally pressed his thumb deeply into the bruise along Hank’s thigh.

“_Fuck!_”

Okay, so that one  ** did ** hurt.

Hank settled Connor back down into the bed, and simply just laid on him. He knew his weight wouldn’t hurt or crush Connor, and the android seemed to like the pressure on his body. Hank’s body was tense, both from the pain radiating from his bruises...and the underlying sexual frustration thrumming through his body.

He could’ve swore he felt Connor being tense as well.

Both of them were still at half-mast, to boot.

But the night wasn’t going to end how they originally planned.

“Guess I  gotta take a rain check, for tonight.” sighed Hank, frowning.

“Guess so...” sighed Connor, and while his hands were stroking Hank’s back, and petting his hair, Hank had been with him long enough to hear the underlying frustration in his voice. Hank didn’t blame him.

But such was life. They would move on, eventually.

And eventually was now, apparently, as Connor tapped at Hank’s shoulder.

“...I’ve got an idea. Can you get up for a second?”

Curious, Hank nodded, giving himself a second, before pushing himself up, wincing as his bruises throbbed in protest. He watched, as Connor sat up, taking a few pillows to put behind him, against the headrest, before taking one and putting it in his lap. Once he looked comfortable, he patted the pillow on his lap, smiling, “Come here.”

Hank had no idea if this was going to be sexual or not, but he was curious to see what Connor had planned. He laid down on his good side, before laying his head on Connor’s lap. He understood why the pillow was necessary; it wasn’t just because of Connor being half-hard, but Connor’s lap...wasn’t the softest thing to lay on.

Connor adjusted him slightly, pushing him more onto his lap, and instructing him to curl up, before he was satisfied. Hank laid there, rather confused. Connor wanted him to rest in his lap? Okay...

But then he felt Connor’s hand slip under his clothes, pulling his night shirt up, and his boxer shorts down, before he started to slowly and gently rub over his bruises. But not just any normal touching, it felt like his hand was a heating pad, the heat seeping into the bruises, and easing the throbbing aching there.

Hank tensed slightly at the touch, the bruises throbbing a bit at the slight pressure, but the heat from Connor’s hand melted that all away, and he found himself melting too, with a content sigh, “Ooh fuck, that feels good...”

Connor smiled, letting his warmed-up hand gently trail over the bruises along Hank’s body, “Just relax, Hank. Let me take care of you. I’ve got you...”

His free hand moved to pet Hank’s hair, running through his silvery locks, before Hank gently took his hand, and brought it to his lips, kissing over his fingertips, his palm...

And the ring on his finger.

“You take such good care of me, sweetheart...” said Hank softly, voice deep with approaching sleep.

“And you take such good care of me, Hank. It’s only fair if I return the favor.” said Connor softly, letting Hank hold and kiss his hand, before he tucked it under his cheek. Connor gently scratched at his beard, his other hand still slowly rubbing over the bruises, letting his warmed-up hand ease the ache.

Hank mumbled incoherently a few times, with Connor just letting out noises of confirmation. Soon, that mumbling turned into soft snoring, as Hank finally let sleep take over him. Connor still continued to let his hand warm the bruises, not wanting that ache to suddenly wake Hank up. He needed his rest.

Those bruises were going to get worse, before they’d get better. Connor knew that. And he already had a few ideas lined up, to help Hank through the recovery process. And he knew, once those bruises finally started to disappear...

They could attempt to do what they had wanted to do tonight, again.

Connor smiled,  mischievously . He couldn’t wait.


	15. Day 15--Forest (reed900)

It was a gorgeous autumn day, in Detroit. The sky was blue, and dotted with clouds. All the leaves had changed, leaving trees full of reds, oranges, yellows, browns, and greens. The air was nice and crisp, just chilly enough with the breeze to warrant a jacket, and maybe a light scarf.

Gavin knew he had picked the perfect day to do this.

Having a few days off together, he and Richard decided to head out to one of the parks, on the edge of Detroit. Just far enough away from the city to leave the hustle and bustle behind. They had planned this outing for a few days, after Richard had chosen it, from the list of parks to go to. It had natural pathways, a good trail for walking and hiking, and several wildlife creatures still lived here, protected under law.

When they first arrived, Gavin saw a deer family along one of the hills. Upon pointing them out to Richard, he saw the android’s eyes light up with unadulterated wonder and awe. His love for the android grew even more, seeing that. They watched the family together, before they disappeared into the woods. The two of them soon followed, embracing the autumn weather.

They walked, hand-in-hand, along the uneven pathways. Gavin wore a simple auburn zip-up hoodie, with a black T-shirt underneath, and jeans. Not too much out of the ordinary, minus the beard he had decided to grow in. He mostly grew it, just to prove that he could, indeed, grow facial hair. He decided to keep it when Richard practically pounced on him. Richard, however, was out of his usual android get-up, and wore a white peacoat, and a black scarf around his neck. Gavin had told him the scarf looked a little extra, but Richard wore it anyways, to playfully spite his boyfriend.

They had been together for three years, now. Three long years. It had started out incredibly rough, with Gavin’s intense dislike (rather, downright hatred) of androids. But as the two worked together, case after case, they started to get along, in their own way. And then that soon gave way to something...more. It had taken both of them awhile to realize it, affection buried under playful teasing and banter. But emotions came forward, and the two found themselves inseparable. They had been through thick and thin; cases gone wrong, near death experiences, and an actual death experience. Thankfully, by some stroke of android luck, Richard had been able to keep all of his memories, and his personality and deviation; the only thing he lost during that time, was the last few moments before his ‘death.’ Ever since then, he’d cherished his life.

As did Gavin.

The two continued on, Gavin crunching leaves under his shoes with glee. He had explained to Richard, awhile back, that crunchy leaves were so satisfying, when they were stepped on. Richard didn’t really get the hype, but seeing Gavin’s face light up with child-like glee, with every crunch leaf he stepped on, was worth enjoying.

“Damn, the colors didn’t hold back this year...” breathed Gavin, looking up at the trees surrounding them, “Like something out of a fuckin’ painting...”

“Agreed.” said Richard, looking up as well, taking in the colors. He remembered when Gavin took him to a different park, during the fall, it had been his first time out of the city. Hell, it was his first time in nature. And seeing all the vibrant colors and beauty had actually overwhelmed him to the point of tears.

He was very glad that he could appreciate all of this now.

Gavin had let go of his hand suddenly, running on ahead, kicking piles of leaves as he did so. Richard chuckled at his cheerful ‘ woooo !’, as he followed after him. Gavin moved to what looked like the top of a slightly steep hill, kicking a few sticks and stones down. Even from back where he was, Richard could hear the rustle of leaves, as the debris rolled down the hill. It was a nice sound, and it surrounded them, with the gentle breeze blowing.

It was so peaceful out here... Maybe soon, they could just move out into the woods. Maybe when Gavin retired. Maybe when  ** he ** retired, once androids were able to get retirement. It’d be a nice place to live out the rest of one’s lives...

He watched Gavin, as he kicked around some more leaves, and saw him turn around, mouth open as if to say something—

Then he watched him loose his balance, slipping on the leaves, and rolling down the hill.

“Gavin!!”

As Richard rushed closer, he saw that the hill was a lot bigger, than he first thought. And Gavin was rolling down it, at an alarming rate. Thankfully, the area was devoid of trees, but a quick scan showed Richard that there were still rocks and large branches, underneath all the leaves. He swore softly, making his way down the hill quickly, keeping his balance so he didn’t meet Gavin’s fate.

Gavin was face down, as Richard got to his side, LED as red as some of the leaves surrounding them. He wasn’t moving. He was shaking, though. A quick scan showed that he had no broken bones, but his heart rate was elevated, “Gavin?! Gavin, are you okay? Answer me—!”

As soon as he reached out, gently shaking Gavin’s shoulder, the human rolled over, a wide grin on his face, before Richard's scarf was tugged, and his lips met Gavin’s in a kiss.

Richard quickly realized that Gavin wasn’t shaking, because he had been in pain.

He had been shaking, because he’d been  _ laughing _ .

Richard sighed heavily through his nose, before breaking the kiss, that grin never leaving Gavin’s lips.

“Gavin Matthias Reed.” he sighed, exasperated, “You are absolutely insufferable.”

“Damn right.” said Gavin, pulling Richard into another kiss. The android rolled his eyes, but didn’t resist, as he slowly melted into it, LED finally calming down to yellow, before going back to blue. They kissed for a bit longer, before Gavin broke the kiss this time, remaining close, hands cupping Richard’s cheeks.

“... Phckin ’ marry me.”

Richard stilled.

Did he hear that right?

He watched, LED going right back to yellow, as Gavin sat back a little, reaching into his pocket...before pulling out a small box. Upon opening the small box, Richard saw a ring inside; a silver band, with a light blue stone right in the center.

“...Marry me?”

“...Oh.”

Gavin blinked at Richard’s rather deadpan tone.

“...’Oh?’” he asked, his heart falling, “...Just...Just ‘oh’?”

Richard’s LED quickly went red, seeing Gavin’s hurt expression.

“N--No! No  no , not like...Gavin, darling, no!” he quickly stammered out, sitting back as he gestured wildly with his hands, “It’s...It’s nothing bad, a-and it’s not a. ..It’s just hard to...Just...Augh, let me...Let me just show you...”

Gavin’s heart lifted a little, seeing Richard so flustered. He knew Richard was being apologetic right from the get go, though hesitation still filled him. He would’ve thought Richard would jump at the chance to marry him. ...Then again, despite being nearly three years deviant, he was still learning. Maybe this took him off guard?

...Had Gavin asked too soon?

But before he could even ask, he watched Richard reach into his own pocket...

And also pull out a small box.

And inside the box, was a ring; a silver band, with a hazel-green stone in the center.

“...I was...planning on proposing, too...” said Richard timidly, his face blushing darkly, a dark blue that went all the way to the tips of his ears. And, by experience, Gavin knew that blush went across his chest and shoulders, too, “And. ..And then you did...and I didn’t know how to react at first...so...I...”

He trailed off, as they both looked down at the boxes in their hands. Then back up at each other.

Gavin started laughing first, starting as chuckle, before building up into a full, belly laugh. Richard soon joined him, unable to stop since Gavin’s laugher was so infectious. Their laughter scared some birds nearby, but they were oblivious, focusing on each other, and the laughter erupting from them.

“Fuck, we’re hopeless, aren’t we?” chuckled Gavin, wiping the tears of mirth from his eyes.

“That we are.” chuckled Richard, smiling warmly at Gavin, reaching out to cup Gavin’s bearded cheek, fiddling with a leaf that had gotten stuck in it, “...Though we never did give each other an answer...”

“We didn’t did we?” said Gavin, with a grin.

Taking the rings, they each put them on the other, before holding each other’s hands, and resting their foreheads against one another, warm smiles abound.

“Gavin Reed...” started Richard, his voice hushed, but warm and affectionate.

“Richard ‘RK900’...” continued Gavin, his voice just as soft, but trembling with emotion.

“Will you...?”

“...Marry me?”

They gazed into one another’s eyes, smile still remaining.

“Yes.”

Upon confirming at the same time, they sealed it with a kiss, melting into one another, hearts soaring. They remained like that for a moment, before Gavin pulled back.

“...Say, scan ahead.”

“Mm?”

“Just do it, husband-to-be.”

Richard’s core warmed up at the words, before doing as he was asked, “...It’s all clear, minus some leaves. Why--?”

“We’re not at the bottom of the hill yet.”

That was all the warning Richard got, before Gavin tugged at him hard, throwing himself against him, as they both started tumbling down the hill the rest of the way. Richard held onto Gavin tightly, laughing with him, as the world around them swirled into the lovely colors of fall.

The colors of their love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday Peach! (s_peachxv)!


	16. Day 16--Muffled Scream (Hankcon-reverse AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some gory details about some of the costumes/make-up being worn in this haunted house, so just a head's up!

Connor hated this. He absolutely hated this.

He didn’t mind chasing a perp through the night. That happened almost daily, now. And his stamina was coming back, slowly but surely, so he could actually keep up this time. ...Not as good as his android partner, the HK800 unit known as Hank, but hey he was doing better than he had a few years ago.

It wasn’t the chasing he minded.

It was the fact that the bastard ducked into a haunted house that Connor hated.

The beginning of the haunt wasn’t too scary, just some rather unsettling ambiance. But then he and Hank came to a fork in the road, so to speak. There were two paths to take, in the haunted house. It was only logical to split up to find their guy, so they did. But the moment Hank left his side, Connor truly wished he hadn’t. He didn’t want to go into this haunted house alone. He had only been to a few, in his lifetime, and he had hated all of them.

He just hoped he didn’t have a panic attack at this one.

“Deep breaths...just calm down...” Connor muttered to himself, slowly going through the haunted house. Had Hank alerted the people here, that they were chasing a perp? Normally the lights would turn on, right? And the haunt would stop? If that was the case, why was it still dark and scary? “It’s all just fake...just decorations, costumes, make up, and—”

Connor screamed, as something popped out at him, from a nearby coffin. It wasn’t an actor, rather an animatronic zombie, that made a loud noise to boot.

Connor could feel his heart racing, as he decided to be a little petty and hit the animatronic with the butt of his gun. Not too hard, though—he knew these things cost a pretty penny. He’d never be able to afford them a new one, if he broke it. Still, it was hard enough to focus chasing down a perp in a scary environment, he didn’t need things popping out at him. Why hadn’t they been turned off? Were the ones running this shit-show that  incompetent ?

Things didn’t improve, the further Connor went into the haunted house. The ambiance got scarier, and while there were no actors (yet), the animatronics were still scaring him at every turn. Connor had a feeling he was going to be hoarse, by the time he was through, from all the screaming and yelping he was doing. His heart was absolutely racing, threatening to burst out of his chest. It was probably not the smartest idea to keep his gun out, but their perp had been wielding a knife. He had to protect himself, somehow. But his palms were sweaty, and he could feel himself shaking a little.

_ Don’t get a panic attack, don’t get a panic attack, don’t get a panic attack... _ He repeated to himself, in a mantra, before nearly falling over, as an animatronic spider  leapt out at him with a shriek.

He’d never been one for horror. He didn’t like getting scared. The horror nut was his brother, Richard. Richard ate horror movies for breakfast. And, when they were younger, before they had their falling out, he did everything he could to spook Connor around Halloween. Meant him getting hit and punched, but apparently the reaction had been worth it. Connor never understood the appeal for being scared. Being scared sucked! Why would anyone let themselves be scared, for  ** fun ** ? And those that enjoyed scaring others, deserved to be punched.

...Well, minus the haunted house actors. They were just doing their job. Connor had heard a few horror stories of haunted house actors getting hit and pushed. ...Still, they sucked for actually enjoying scaring people enough to sign up for the job.

It was getting  scarier, the further Connor went into the haunted house. No actors yet, but the animatronics were doing their job, for sure, suddenly jumping out at him with loud noises. A possessed looking girl swung down at him, from the ceiling, and he actually did let out quite the loud scream, as he ducked to the ground, arms over his head. He wanted to cry, feeling tears prick at the corners of his eyes. His heart was hammering, his breath coming out in gasps. And he was shaking, making it impossible to stand, at the moment.

He wanted to go home.

He wanted Hank.

He wanted to go home with Hank.

“H--Hank?” he called  out, voice tight and desperate, as he lifted his head, “...Hank? Where are you?”

Nothing. Just scary, ambient noises.

Connor gave himself a few moments, before standing up, shakily. The end had to be close, right? If he could just find the exit, then he could man it, and be able to be there, when/if the perp was chased out by Hank. He just had to make it to the end, that’s it. If he could do that, he’d be fine.

He swallowed hard, trying to get his breathing under control, as he started walking. No panic attacks. He could do this. No crying, either. Hold those tears in. He could do this. He could totally do this.  It was just a bit farther, that was all. ...Right?

...Connor then thought about the haunted house they were in. It was a decently big one, and rather popular. He had seen it advertised on TV before, and on some websites. He didn’t bother looking too much into it, knowing he’d never go. But one of the things they had advertised...was that the actors were fully immersed into this spooky world that they had built. There was an age limit for the house as well, and warnings were  abound ; no persons with heart problems, light sensitivity, weak minds or stomachs were allowed. Rather, it wasn’t recommended that they come. Also, people going in had to sign a waver.

Because the actors got physical with the ones they were scaring.

Connor got a stark reminder of that, as someone—not an animatronic—jumped out at him, clapping a hand over his mouth, and pushing him against the wall.

His gun was completely forgotten. The guy hadn’t even shoved him that hard into the wall, but all color left Connor’s face, as the guy leaned in.

...Connor knew it was just  make up. It was just  make up, and not an actual monster. He knew this...and yet...

And yet, seeing this guy, with gouged out eyes, bleeding heavily, as his mouth hung open slightly, the side of his jaw torn away to reveal sinew, teeth, and jawbone, dripping blood...

Connor didn’t care about the hand over his mouth.

He  ** _ screamed _ ** .

Hank glanced up, hearing a scream. Though, being in a haunted house, he was surrounded by screams, coming from both animatronics and speakers alike. And some were so human-like, that even his own systems were getting confused, alerting him to several ‘people’ in distress. Haunted houses were a sensory overload, for sure.

But at least they had caught their guy. ...But not without some trouble.

He wanted to strangle whoever was in charge of communications here. He alerted the owner that they had a suspect coming through, but the scares still happened. The lights weren’t on, and the animatronics were still running. It wasn’t until Hank got to one part of the haunted house, that he found their perp. ..cowering in a corner, as three grisly zombies surrounded him. Apparently, their guy wasn’t much for horror.

Hank tried to keep his irritation to a minimum, as he slapped cuffs on their guy, giving him to the backup that he had called, when he and Connor ran in. The guy had been armed with a knife, though it sounded like no one had been hurt. Which was a relief...and incredibly lucky, seeing as how their communication equipment was severely outdated.

But now that the perp was gone, Hank had to tackle another problem.

Where was Connor?

“Hey heads up, we got a Code F.”

Hank looked over, as one of the actors—looking like a patched-together human—answered the walkie, “Code F? Where are they?”

“Over by the torture chamber. One of our guys spooked him bad enough, that he just crumpled. Skinny guy, brown hair, and an ugly-ass shirt.”

...Ah.

Hank stepped forward, “I believe you might have found my partner. We came in together, but we got split up. Can you show me where that area is, so I can collect him?”

Despite the communications issue, the actors were very cooperative with the officers, including Hank. They had been intimidated, due to his size, but were quickly warming up around him. He followed a zombie and a man with his arm ‘cut’ off, to another part of the haunted house. The lights were finally flickering on, lighting up the rooms, and killing off the spooky feel that it held.

As Hank stepped into the room, sure enough, slumped on the floor, against the wall, was Connor Stern. He was as white as a ghost (heh), and wasn’t moving. A quick scan showed that he was alive. The blood that had gotten onto him wasn’t his, and probably wasn’t even real.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t realize...I didn’t hear...!”

Hank looked up, blinking a bit in surprise at the young man he was looking at. He had his eyes gouged out—or rather, had prosthetics on that made it look like they were—and had one of the ‘holes’ peeled off, so that a rather nervous looking brown eye was looking at Hank. The detail of make-up into the ‘wounds’ on his face was rather nice. Professionally done. Hank commended whoever had done it.

“Calm down, son.” said Hank, placating him, “You’re not in trouble. You were just doing what you were hired to do.” He smiled at him, before going over to Connor and kneeling in front of him. He looked over, seeing his gun a few inches away from his hand. Hank reached over, and pushed it a bit further away. Didn’t need Connor suddenly jumping up,  gun in hand.

“...Lieutenant?” asked Hank softly, reaching out and gently tapping Connor’s cheek. He couldn’t help but smile, remembering the time he had to break into Connor’s house, fearing he had been attacked, after seeing him unconscious on the ground, through the window. And while he was tempted to fully slap him, it wasn’t necessary, as he watched Connor twitch and stir with a soft groan, eyebrows furrowed.

Hank felt someone kneel next to him, and looked over.

“I’m a medical student, I can help if he’s hurt.” said the young woman, looking up at the android. Hank opened his mouth, about to say that he had things covered...but the damage was done.

Before he could say or do anything, Connor had already opened his eyes. The woman was eye-level with him, and was the first thing he set eyes on. She was still in costume, as a rotting zombie. Her skin was ‘peeling’ away in spots, but the biggest shock was the prosthetic eye that was popping out of her skull, and hanging sickly from the socket.

Connor lost all color in his face once again, and his eyes rolled back into his skull, as he fainted dead away once more. Hank reached out to catch him, before he could slump over onto the ground.

“...I think he’s just really scared...” said the woman, a little surprised.

“Yeah, I think so too.” said Hank, holstering Connor’s gun, before lifting the unconscious man into his arms, “But I’ll take care of him. Thank you for your help.”

He bid farewell to the haunted house employees (one of which shoved some free tickets to the haunted house in his pocket), before heading towards the car. Once he was just about there, he heard Connor stir in his arms, and smiled down at him.

“H. ..Hank ...?”His voice was soft, tentative, as his hand curled slightly into  Hank’s shirt. He had yet to open his eyes, though.

“It’s all right...” soothed Hank, holding him a little closer, “We’re out of the haunted house, now. The perp is caught, and on his way to the station.”

Connor groaned, shifting slightly as he buried his face into  Hank’s chest, “...Fuckin’ haunted houses... I can’t stand them.”

“ So I can see.”

Hank kissed the top of Connor’s head, feeling him relax a fraction in his arms. They got to the car, and he had to let the Lieutenant go, as he unlocked the car, before putting him in the passenger seat. After fainting twice, it was best not to let him drive. As Hank got into the driver’s seat, and buckled up, he looked over at Connor, who was leaning up against the door. He still looked a little pale, and his hands were shaking.

He truly had been afraid...

And  Hank’d be damned, if those weren’t tears in his eyes.

“...Shall I assume that you’ll be latching yourself to me, when we get into bed?” he asked, not wanting to bring up Connor’s intense fear. Connor could bring it up later, if he wished.

“Damn right.” huffed Connor, letting his eyes close, as he rested his head against the window, “I’m not gonna be able to sleep a wink, otherwise.”

Hank chuckled, as he started up the car, pulling away from the haunted house. On the drive home, he reached over, and held Connor’s hand in his, gently squeezing it, letting him know that he was right there.

Connor attaching himself to him, like a parasite, all night long?

Hank wouldn’t have it any other way.


	17. Day 17--Tentacles in Peril (reed900)

Gavin hummed to himself, drunkenly, as he walked down the street. It was well into the night, and the streetlights were giving off just enough light, so that his drunken ass didn’t stumble over anything in the darkness. ...Didn’t stop him from tripping up over his own feet, though. But he didn’t care—he was in a rather good mood, for once. ...The alcohol helped with that.

He had a few drinks with Chris and Tina, at the local bar. Just a get together of friends, laughing and getting drunk. At least Gavin’s house was within walking distance from the bar. One didn’t need a designated driver, if one just walked home. And while the more logical part of his brain knew that walking home drunk was a danger in itself, especially alone, that logical part of his brain was swimming in alcohol, and was drowned out by the lovely intoxication going through his body.

He knew he was going to regret it in the morning, but that was for morning Gavin to deal with. Nighttime Gavin was still riding on the high of a good night. Nothing, absolutely nothing was going to spoil it.

And then he heard a noise.

Gavin stopped. The noise was...odd, even  through his drunken ears. It sounded like a groan, but also a growl? It sounded again, and it was nearby. Tilting his head, he swayed over to the edge of the road, peering down into the deep ditch that lay beside it. The lights didn’t reach that far down there, and he had to squint a little to see what was making that noise.

What he saw, was a pale body. Or part of a body, at least. The torso. They were laying on their stomach. They didn’t have a shirt on.

“...You dead down ‘ere?” slurred out Gavin, trying to get a closer look, without his drunk ass falling in. 

The body let out another groan, and their head lifted up.

Gavin saw, even in the darkness, that the body belonged to a rather handsome man, with icy blue eyes. ...His drunk brain then realized that, if he was moving, then he wasn’t dead. Okay, got that out of the way.

“ Ya need help?  ‘Cause ... ’cause you look like  ya need help...”

A pained ‘yes’ came from the guy.

Gavin was an officer of the law. But he was also a jackass. But while he was drunk, he was still an officer of the law. He helped people. And this guy needed help. So he was going to help him, intoxication be damned.

“Al... A’ight ,  I'mma come getcha...” mumbled Gavin, as he carefully started down into the ditch. The grass was slippery, and something smelled awful. But he ignored it, carefully making his way down, with as much grace as the drunken man could muster. Surprisingly, despite his current state, he managed to get next to the guy.

And holy hell he was big.

Rather, his back was broad, and very muscular.

Gavin licked his lips.

...Right. Guy needed help. Do that first.

“ Ya hurt?” he asked, crouching down next to him, “Can ya s...stand?”

The guy was still for a moment, before shaking his head, “...Need help...Please...need help...”

“ Imma help  ya ,  Imma help ya.” said Gavin, moving to try and lift the guy up. But he was bigger than he was, and he only lifted him a little off the ground, before he had to give up. The poor guy groaned again, in pain or discomfort, Gavin couldn’t tell. He was just going to have to drag him home. This was going to be interesting...

“Hold  ont ’ me.” he mumbled, reaching down and pulling the guy’s arms over his shoulders, hoisting him up that way, in a sort of mock piggy back ride. He didn’t feel the guy’s legs move. Guess he was just going to have to drag him. He felt him sort of cling to him, as he started up the steep ditch. Gavin swore time and again, as he felt himself slip. There was one time, he nearly kissed the ground, his feet slipping out from under him. But somehow, he managed to keep going.

Take that, intoxication.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, they had made it to the top.

“ A’ight ,  I’mma get  ya home.” said Gavin, dragging the guy as he continued down the street, “ Ain’t far. My home,  y’know ?  Gonna getcha some help.’

The guy smelled of the stinky ditch, and Gavin had half a mind to just dump him in the tub, once he got home. His arms were also  kinda ...slimy and sticky. He didn’t know why. Probably from when he fell into the ditch. And  _ God _ he was heavy...! Gavin had to pause here and there, to adjust his hold on the guy, and make sure he didn’t fall.

“Need...water...”

Gavin nearly jumped out of his skin, as the guy spoke for the first time, in  awhile . His voice sounded...lovely, really. A nice, low timber. A bass, maybe? Too low to be a tenor...

...Right. Water.

“I’ll  getcha a nice, b. ..big glass, when I  getcha home.” said Gavin, already seeing his house in the distance.

“Not...to d-drink...” mumbled the guy on his back, “...Need...Need to be  ** in ** it...”

“...Well,  ya stink.  Yer gonna get tossed in m’ tub, either way.” said Gavin, shrugging, “Jus’ dun  drown in m’ tub.  Ya sound m...more sauced th...than me...”

He giggled, at the mental image of this handsome guy getting drunk and unable to stand, before just rolling down into the ditch, and getting stuck. He almost had to stop walking for a moment, as the giggle seized him.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Gavin was walking up to his house.

“An’ we’re ‘ere!” said Gavin, a bit loudly in a sing-song voice, “Hold  ont ’ me,  gotta unlock  th ’ door.”

He let go of the guy with one hand, and shuffled through his pockets. He finally pulled out his keys, and after messing with them for a moment, nearly using his car key to open the door, he finally got it unlocked, and pushed the door open, dragging the guy inside.

“ Baaaaabies ~!  Baaaaabies , D—Daddy's home!” called out Gavin, as he dragged the guy further into his house. He heard the door close behind him. The door didn’t normally close on  it’s own... Ah well. Less work for him to do.

He heard meowing, and gentle footsteps, as the cats came out of his room. Two of them. They took one look at Gavin, and the guy he was dragging, before dashing back into his room. Gavin laughed drunkenly, as he dragged the guy to his bathroom, not bothering to turn on the lights.

“They...They dun like strangers...” he slurred out, before pulling the shower curtain aside, “A’ight, in ya go.”

He turned around, letting the guy slide off of his back, and into the tub. He heard his legs get in, and he turned around, turning the water on. The shower head turned on instead, sprinkling water down on the guy. Gavin swore, apologizing as his drunken hands fumbled with the knobs, before the faucet finally turned on, and the tub started to fill.

“Th. ..There ya go.” said Gavin, nodding. He was rather proud of himself. Saving a guy, throwing him into his tub, and doing all  fo that while drunk. Not too shabby.

The guy in the tub seemed to be relaxing, the more the water filled the tub. Gavin saw something move under the water, and assumed he was just moving his legs. He reached down to poke at his leg, chuckling as he felt it be just as slimy as the rest of him. He almost didn’t turn the water off in time, nearly dozing off at the edge of the tub. He reached out sleepily, turning the water off.

“ Ya good? Not...Not  gonna die on me?”

The man shook his head, and even in the darkness, Gavin could see him smile, “This is perfect. ...Thank you.”

“Not a p-problem.” said Gavin, giving him a drunken grin, before standing up, swaying slightly, “ I’mma pass out. ‘Night. Dun drown, dude. Ya too...too handsome t’ drown in m’ tub...”

Gavin walked—rather, staggered—out of the bathroom, stripping off his clothes as he went. They reeked of that ditch. Once he was in his underwear, he collapsed into bed, barely managing to crawl up to his pillows, before he finally passed out.

Now it was morning Gavin’s time to rise and shine.

And it was also time for morning Gavin to suffer, for what last night Gavin did last night.

He groaned, rolling over in bed. His head felt like it was splitting in half. It was killing him. His stomach didn’t feel too great either, but at least he wasn’t rushing to the bathroom, to upchuck everything. Maybe some toast wouldn’t be too bad, for his stomach. Something to settle it. At least Chris had gotten him something to eat, before the drinks started flowing.

... Other than that, the rest of last night was a bit of a drunken blur.

Gavin sat up, seeing the cats curled around him. He smiled at them, reaching out to pet them, before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, “ Gotta piss. After that, it’s breakfast time, kitties.”

With another groan, he got to his feet, swaying slightly. Once balanced, he made his way to the bathroom, yawning as he flipped on the light. Standing in front of the toilet, he started to pull down his boxers...

Just at the same time the shower curtain opened.

Gavin looked up.

In his tub was a handsome man. Icy blue eyes looked at him, a bit of a smile on his lips. He was shirtless. Had a nice, broad, muscular chest.

Oh, and tentacles.

He didn’t have any legs. A mass of tentacles formed his lower half, a few hanging out of the tub, and one had pulled the shower curtain back. The rest were curled tightly in the tub, filling it. They were moving...

Gavin dropped his boxers the rest of the way, in shock.

“...Thank you for saving me, last night. You truly saved my life.” said the man, “I am—”

He didn’t get to finish.

Gavin  _ screamed _ .

What in the  ** _ hell _ ** had he done last night?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points if you get the slight reference used here!


	18. Day 18--"Stay" (Hankcon)

The moment Connor came out of stasis, he knew something was wrong. Namely, because he woke up alone, in bed. The comforting warmth and weight, that was Hank Anderson, was nowhere to be seen.

He sat up, and looked around. The bedroom didn’t look very different. Same as it always looked. He could see the yellow light from his LED light up the walls, as he got out of bed, and into the hall. Sumo came and greeted him, pressing his cold, wet nose against Connor’s bare leg. Connor chuckled, scratching the big dog behind the ears, before going to feed him. But, along the way, Hank wasn’t to be found.

An attack didn’t happen—there were no signs of any struggles. He wasn’t in the bathroom, as the door was open, and the lights were off. After he got Sumo fed, Connor went into the living room, and found Hank’s jacket, keys, and shoes missing. Had he gone out? Without telling him? Why? Was it a surprise? Work-related? Connor checked his messages, but didn’t find any recent ones.

Worry gnawed at him for a bit...before he turned around and went into the bathroom. There was one last thing he had yet to check...

Sure enough, as he turned on the lights and looked at the mirror, he found it. Among the post-it notes on the mirror, there was a new one, with Hank’s scribbly writing on it. Taking it off the mirror, Connor read it over.

_ ‘ _ _ Gonna _ _ be out for a bit. Be back later. Stay home.’ _

Connor read it over and over again, head tilting. Where had Hank gone? His writing was a bit more...shaky than it normally was. Worry came back again, and Connor replaced the note, going out into the living room. He didn’t see any bottles. Going into the kitchen, he saw a whiskey glass on the edge of the sink, as well as a photo that had been placed face down.

His LED cycled yellow-red, as he took the glass, and looked it over. He stuck a finger in it, and sampled it on his tongue. His body, and LED, relaxed. There were no traces of alcohol in the glass. There were traces of milk, and the water left behind when Hank had rinsed it out. So the shakiness of his handwriting hadn’t come from alcohol...

Connor went for the photo next, flipping it up...

...And the moment he saw it, he knew where Hank had gone.

“Ready to head out, Sumo?” asked Connor, turning to the St Bernard, who had sat down at his side. He knelt down, and petted him, as Sumo whined and licked at his face. Connor chuckled at the slobbery kisses, “Yeah, well...I’ve never been that good at following orders. ...Sometimes.”

He winked at Sumo, ruffling his fur about, before standing up, and heading back into the bedroom. Time to get dressed. As he did so, his LED flickered, as he started to look up some things...

After a few minutes of riding in a taxi, Sumo on his leash, they had arrived at their destination. Connor let Sumo jump out first, before he followed. He pulled his down coat closer to him; a gift that Hank had gotten him, when he learned that Connor didn’t like the cold. Brought back too many bad memories. A scarf was around his neck, also a gift from Hank. It was a rather cold autumn day, today. The breeze made it that much colder, and Connor couldn’t help but shiver. Sumo, however, seemed to enjoy it.

Connor chuckled, letting Sumo do his business outside the gates, before walking in, strolling quietly past the headstones that lined up along the pathway.

The cemetery was smaller, and a bit on the outskirts of the city. It was much quieter here. Connor could barely hear the hustle and bustle of the city, replaced by the gentle sound of leaves and tree branches moving in the wind. It was calming, and he would’ve stood there and taken it all in, if he wasn’t set on his mission. 

Thankfully, it didn’t take long to find Hank, though Connor stopped a few feet away, just observing him, for right now.

Hank was sitting on the cold ground, in front of a headstone. From what Connor could see, it had been recently cleaned. Hank wasn’t moving too much, until he shifted to bring a glass bottle up to his lips. Connor’s LED went red briefly, though as he zoomed in on the bottle, he saw that the dark liquid wasn’t alcohol.

Unless Coke started selling alcoholic drinks.

Connor relaxed, though he had to wonder why Hank had suddenly picked up a glass case of Coke. Was it because the glass in his hand, took off the edge of wanting to drink? Or was it something else?

Connor...felt uneasy. Maybe he should’ve listened to Hank’s note, and stayed home. ...But something else was compelling him to stay. To approach Hank. He didn’t want to leave Hank here alone. He wasn’t sure what was telling him to stay, but he decided to listen to it.

There was a fairly even chance of Hank reacting badly, and Hank reacting positively.

Walking over to him, Connor stood beside him, silent. He didn’t want to startle him, nor make him upset. It took Hank a moment to realize that there was someone there, and he glanced over, before looking back at the headstone again, sighing heavily.

“...Didn’t I tell you to stay home?”

Despite his words, there was no bite to them.

“Have I ever had a good record of following orders, Hank?” asked Connor, unable to help but smile a little.

“Nope. ...Fuckin’ deviant...” mumbled Hank, shaking his head as he took another swig from the Coke bottle. Connor chuckled, and moved to sit next to him. Sumo moved around Hank’s other side, and laid beside him, placing his head in his lap. As Hank reached over to pet Sumo, Connor looked over at the headstone, and read it.

_ ‘Cole Anderson _

_ September 23 2029 – October 11 2035’ _

Connor had been right, then.

“...It’s...been awhile, since I came here.” started Hank, seeing that Connor was looking at the headstone, “Figured...Figured it was about time I came to visit. To...To clean his headstone, and...y’know...visit...”

He waved a hand dismissively, taking the last swig of Coke, before looking at the bottle and chuckling softly, “...I wanted a drink. Like...’that’ kind of drink. But I figured I was  doin ’ good, and. ..didn’t want to fall back onto old habits. Picked up this at the store. It. ..was Cole’s favorite thing to drink. ...And having the glass in my hand  kinda ...helped take that edge off.”

Hank set the bottle aside, and Connor saw two other empty bottles in the small caddy that they came in.

“Fall was his favorite season,  y’know .” continued Hank, sitting back a little as he looked up at the trees above them, “He loved how colorful things got, and loved to crunch leaves under his feet, and with his hands. ...He also loved jumping into piles of leaves, after I had  ** just ** raked them up into a nice, neat pile.” He chuckled, shaking his head, looking back at the headstone, “Leaves usually never got raked up. We kept playing in the piles too much, for them to be effective. And he was scared of those leaf bags, that look like pumpkins and spiders. The first time I did that, he ran inside screaming. Poor kid...”

Hank smiled sadly, fiddling with a Coke bottle cap in his hand. Connor remained silent, just letting Hank talk. It was...rare that Hank talked about Cole. He was getting...Connor didn’t want to say he was getting ‘over’ his grief, of his loss. But he was doing better with dealing with it. Some days were harder than most, though.

“He was such a bright kid, Cole.” said Hank, his voice getting a little softer, “Sometimes was a bit too smart for his own good. He was sensitive to how others felt, and could always figure out when something wasn’t right. Always willing to help someone out...because he wanted to be like his Daddy, who was a policeman who helped everyone in need...”

Hank swallowed hard, sniffing as he continued, “He...He was the light of my life, Connor...He made me...He made me want to better myself...so that he could live h-how he wanted, and be stress-free. ...Wasn’t...easy, raisin’ a kid by myself...but...but I did my best. I-I did...I did...my best, a-and still...still...”

A choked hiccup left him, as he rubbed at his eyes.

“...Fuck me....’m a wreck...”

Connor opened his mouth, wanting to say something...but nothing came forward. What  _ could _ he say? He was still trying to learn his way around emotions, and how to be sensitive towards others’ feelings. ...But had coming here made Hank upset? Had he forced himself to explain something, he didn’t want to, talking about Cole like that?

...Maybe he shouldn’t have intruded.

But just as Connor shifted, he didn’t even get his legs under him, before Hank reached out, grabbing a hold of his coat, hand trembling.

“Stay...” His voice was soft and strained, eyes already glistening with tears, “...Please...”

He didn’t need to be asked twice.

Connor sat down, a bit closer to Hank, before wrapping his arms around him, and pulling him close. Hank froze, just briefly, before he slowly wrapped his arms around Connor, large hands clinging to him tightly, as he buried his face into Connor’s shoulder.

“...Why? Why was he...Why was he taken from me...?” Connor heard him sob out quietly, “He...He was only 6...He still...he s-still had so much t-to live for...Why...?” Hank swallowed hard, a tight whimper leaving him, “...I want him back, Connor...I want him back so badly...! I-I want to h-hear his voice, again...A-And I want to h-hold him in my arms...tell him it’s...it’s okay...D-Daddy’s here, Daddy’s...”

A choked sob left Hank, before he finally broke down. Connor’s arms tightened around him, holding him close, rocking him gently. Sumo even wormed his way over, staying close to Hank. They weren’t going to leave him, not like this.  It broke Connor’s heart to see Hank so upset, but he knew that crying and letting it out would help him. ...Still didn’t stop Connor from wanting to kiss away those tears, and kiss Hank, until he stopped crying.

...He could kiss him another time, not right now.

Connor held onto Hank, as his sobs slowly died down into sniffles and whimpers. His coat would need cleaned, but he didn’t care. He kept his arms around Hank, holding him, grounding him. He rubbed at his back, another carding through his hair. He heard Hank hiccup once, before he spoke, his voice raw from crying.

“...S-Stay...Jus’ a...J-Jus’ a bit longer...I don’t...I don’t want...to be alone right now...”

Connor let out an affirmative hum, as he kissed at Hank’s temple, keeping him close. He even increased his body heat slightly, just to make Hank more comfortable.

“I’ll stay as long as you need me to, Hank.” said Connor softly, “...And that’s one order I will follow.”

Hank let out a mix between a cough and a laugh, before shifting slightly, turning to face the headstone, as he leaned against Connor. Connor still kept an arm around him, as his hand found Hank’s, gently squeezing it. He’d stay as long as Hank wanted him to. Especially right now.

Hank didn’t need to be alone for this grief, for these visits.

And now, with Connor here, he wouldn’t be.

Hank would never be alone, again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've dealt with a heavy loss in my life, when my Mom passed away from pancreatic cancer, a few years ago. It was extremely hard, suddenly losing my Mom. I don't have anyone to have mother-daughter talks with, I don't have a mother to hold me, and reassure me things will be okay. I don't have a mother anymore. And even though it's been a few years, her loss still hurts. I miss her dearly, every single day. And while I didn't fall into alcoholism like Hank did, my mental health took a plunge. I didn't know how to deal with grief, so I just...let it take over. I cried, I stayed in bed, did nothing.
> 
> Please, if you're ever going through a loss, know you don't have to go through it alone. Thankfully, I had friends who helped me out so much, and a very supportive Dad, and younger brother. I wasn't alone in my grief, and when it got too much, I reached out, even though it was hard. I didn't want to be a burden to others. But my grief wasn't a burden. Needing comfort wasn't a burden. Having that support has helped me so, so much. And while I still have rough days, I know I can lean on my support if things get too rough.
> 
> ...This day was a bit hard for me to write, thanks to my own experiences in loss. But...I did it. I made it through.


	19. Day 19--Recovery (reed900-reverse AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll edit the tags here in a second, but there's some brief vomiting in this chapter! I tried not to go into too much detail, but here's your warning!

This case was a fucking nightmare.

Gavin had been on many rough cases with his human partner, Richard, plenty of times. But this one was taking the cake. Their perp was being elusive, and damn near taunting them every step of the way. The guy was kidnapping androids in the middle of the night, draining them of their blood for red ice, before selling their parts on the black market. Whenever they arrived at the scene of the crime, all that was left was the head, often horribly mutilated.

Gavin didn’t have the capacity to feel sick, but the scenes always made him feel something similar.

They were practically working around the clock, on the case, but it was then that Gavin started noticing a change in Richard. He started to not sleep, opting for working through the night on any leads that he might come across. His consumption of cigarettes, energy drinks, and coffee had increased, too. Gavin even saw him combine an energy drink and coffee once, though apparently that didn’t go well; a few  minutes after drinking the cocktail, he had rushed to the bathroom. After that, Gavin had never seen the two drinks combined again. Richard still drank both, just not at the same time.

Exhaustion was weighing heavily on the young detective, and Gavin was sorely tempted to say something, before it was too late. He had heard about people burning out, but had never actually seen it in person. ...Until now. He didn’t want Richard to crash and burn—and he knew he didn’t want to, either. But at the rate he was going, it was only a matter of time...

Hell, work followed them home, too. Richard remained glued to his laptop most of the time, looking over the facts. He picked at dinner, whenever it was made, and Gavin had to literally drag him to bed. At least, for a little while. They’d curl up in each other’s arms, and Gavin would slip into stasis, once he heard Richard’s breathing slow. But the next time he woke up, he’d be alone in bed, not even three hours later, and find Richard on the couch, the light from his laptop lighting up the room.

Yeah, he needed to say something.

And that day was going to be today.

They had been working on this case for four days straight. Richard’s bad habits had started, practically at day one. He’d hardly gotten any sleep for the past three nights, and was looking towards a fourth, if something wasn’t said. 

Gavin looked around his monitor, at Richard. He was paler than normal, making the bags under his eyes stand out even more. While he had showered every night, things like shaving had been forgotten, and a decent amount of stubble was growing in. ...Gavin did find that fascinating, but that wasn’t the point. As Richard typed, Gavin could see his hands trembling slightly. At least three cans of energy drinks were on his desk, and two cups of coffee. A third in a mug had been gotten recently, but a quick scan from Gavin showed it had long since gone cold. Forgotten, in  lieu of work.

Gavin knew he was going to get snapped at, but it was either this...or let his human run himself to the ground.

“Hey.”

Nothing.

“Hey, Richard.”

Again, nothing.

“Hey, meatsack!”

That seemed to get his attention, and annoyed eyes flicked his way, before going back to the monitor, “What, Gavin? I’m busy.”

“Whatever.” said Gavin, waving a dismissive hand, “You look like shit, y’know? Go the fuck home, and rest up.”

“No.”

He had a feeling that would be the answer, and he sighed heavily.

“You look like death warmed over, now go home.”

“Why do you care?”

That had stung, a bit. Either Richard realized what he had said, or didn’t, but either way, he went back to his monitor, typing away with trembling fingers. Gavin swallowed, pushing past the uncomfortable silence, as he continued.

“Have you looked in a mirror lately, Richard? You’re a wreck!” he sighed. He got no response, as Richard continued watching his monitor, normally bright eyes looking slightly glazed over and faded. Gavin was worried. He’d seen Richard sick before, but he’d never seen him like this. This was...almost manic, and as much as he didn’t want to admit it, it  kinda scared him a little.

He had to get Richard home.

“Look, if you talk with me, I can help with a few things, and lessen the load. I can handle it, y’know.”

An eyebrow twitch, whether from nearly overdosing on caffeine or in anger, it was hard to tell. Either way, Richard remained silent.

“It’s  ** our ** case. You know what that means, right? It’s for both of  us. So, let me help. You don’t have to do it all yourself.”

Silence, again

Gavin was so very tempted to just shout at Richard, to try and push through this wall he had set up. Inwardly, he was scared and so worried for Richard. He loved this man, so much. To see him like this, and to hear him push him away...it hurt. Did Richard realize that? He was tempted to call him out on that, but they were at work, and the bullpen didn’t need to know their personal business.

...Though they probably already knew, thanks to the Bear and his Bastard.

“Okay, then answer me this, ballsack.” huffed Gavin, leaning back in his chair, “Why do you care so much about completing this case?”

That got Richard to stop typing.

“Yeah, I mean...it’s a rougher case, for sure.” continued Gavin, watching him closely, “But if we  _ work together _ , then we can complete it easier. So why stress yourself out, over nothing?”

“...Shut up.”

Gavin blinked at that.  So he was finally speaking.

“What, so you can continue working, and pushing yourself? Nuh-uh.” Gavin shook his head, as he stood up, going over to Richard and taking his arm, “We’re going home, so you can fuckin’ rest—”

The moment he touched Richard’s  arm, he knew something was wrong. Even through his jacket, just touching him he was able to feel he was unnaturally warm. They hadn’t run around, and the A/C in the bullpen was set to a comfortable setting. No one else was hot. Just Richard. But he didn’t get to monitor that for long, as Richard yanked his arm away from Gavin, glaring absolute daggers into him.

Normally, a glare like that would make even an android like GV200 shiver. But with his eyes lacking their usual sharpness, it wasn’t as effective. But the message was still clear.

“Lay off, Gavin.” snapped Richard, turning back to his monitor once more, “...If I complete this case, I’ll be  ** that ** much closer, to ranking up. I’ll be able to surpass Connor.  _ Finally _ . I’m so close, Gavin...I’m so close...!”

Gavin just...blinked at Richard. He never heard such desperation in his voice, before. Now he was even more worried.

“That’s why you’re pushing yourself? You just want to rank up?” asked Gavin, unable to hide the disbelief in his voice, “That’s it? You just want to surpass that  bastard, you call a brother? Why? Why is that so important—”

Gavin realized he probably should’ve worded that differently.

Richard all but slammed his hands on his desk, as he stood up abruptly, looking absolutely livid at Gavin.

“Shut UP!” he practically shouted, and the bullpen around them fell silent. It seemed like Richard wasn’t even aware of where he was, as he continued, his voice raised and loud, “Shut your goddamn mouth on matters that don’t concern you! You don’t know what this feels like! You’re just an android, what would you know? You can’t, and never will, understand what this feels like, you...you plastic...plastic...”

Richard’s voice trailed off, as all the color left his face. What little there was, anyways.

LED red, Gavin moved forward, catching Richard as his legs gave out. While he couldn’t exactly support his whole weight, he did manage to help Richard back into his chair, guiding him to sit. Richard leaned up heavily against Gavin’s chest, his entire body radiating worrisome heat. Gavin just wrapped his arms around his human, and held him close, ignoring the stares they were getting.

Surprisingly, the Bear and his Bastard were missing.

Good. As if Richard would want his brother seeing this.

“...Let’s get you home.” said Gavin softly, rubbing at Richard’s back. He could feel him trembling.

Richard slowly moved, his hands clinging to Gavin, hands trembling. After a moment, he nodded slowly.

Getting Richard to the car, was a trip in itself. Gavin had gathered up their things, shut off their monitors, and guided Richard outside. The tall man could barely stand, let alone walk straight. But he was aware enough to know that, if he did collapse, Gavin couldn’t carry him out. Still, it was a rough time, getting out the doors, and to the car. But, thankfully, no incidents happened. And there was no run ins with Connor, or Hank.

They must’ve been out on a case, or something.

Once Gavin had Richard in the passenger seat, he bucked him up, before closing the door and going over to the driver’s side. Keys in hand, he cranked the car and looked over at Richard. He was paler than he was before, and was leaning heavily against the door. His eyes fluttered, struggling to stay awake.

All those days of running on empty were finally catching up to him...

LED still red with worry, Gavin pulled out of the parking lot, going just a little above the speed limit, back to Richard’s apartment.

Driving to the apartment was easy, there was hardly any traffic to speak of. But once they were there, Gavin was faced with another challenge; getting Richard up to his apartment, before he actually collapsed. He was more out of it now, than he had been back at the station. Getting him upright was difficult, as was actually making him move. He swayed and stumbled, like a drunk, as Gavin clung to him desperately, making sure he wasn’t going to fall, and brain himself on the ground.

Miraculously, they didn’t run into anyone to their way up to Richard’s apartment. He leaned Richard up against the wall briefly, as he took out the keys, and quickly unlocked the door, tossing the keys inside, before grabbing Richard and guiding him in.

“...sorry...’m sorry...”

Gavin blinked. It was the first words he had spoken, since his outburst at the station. But his words were slurred, and he sounded borderline delirious. Not good.

“It’s okay, Richard,  its okay.” he said, as soothingly as he could, as he guided Richard into his apartment, before closing and locking the door behind him, “I’m here, it’s okay...”

The apologies continued for a few moments, before Richard’s eyes rolled back into his skull, and he went completely boneless, as he finally passed out. Gavin swore loudly, catching Richard, before he hit the ground, nearly falling down himself. The guy was now dead weight. At least, he had waited until they were home, before collapsing.

With some effort, he dragged Richard over to the couch first, getting him settled there. He needed to be in bed. But Gavin didn’t know if the bed was made, or even proper for Richard to be in. He leaned over the couch, kissing Richard’s (rather warm) forehead.

“I’ll be right back.” he whispered, before running to the bedroom. The bed wasn’t made, and after shooing Luci-fur off briefly, Gavin got it to where Richard could be comfortably put in. He pulled out a few clothes for Richard too, wanting him to be in something comfortable, as he recovered and rested. Satisfied, he went back out to the living room, seeing that Richard was still out cold. At least he was still breathing, so that was a relief.

Carefully, Gavin half carried, half dragged Richard to the bedroom. He wondered if he could get a ‘strength’ upgrade, where he could still be light-weight, yet still be able to carry a full-grown human. He’d have to ask the Bear about that. But right now, he had other things to focus on.

He got Richard in bed, without much trouble, and quickly took his clothes off, haphazardly tossing them to the ground, before putting him in a pair of sweat pants, and an old T-shirt. Despite being together for so long, Gavin still found it so odd to see Richard in casual clothes, when he walked out of  the house every day looking like a damn fashion model.

With him now comfortable, Gavin pulled the blankets over him. He placed his hand against his forehead, taking a temperature, and frowned at the number that appeared in his HUD.

100.9.

Not good.

Had he gotten sick? Or was his body just slowly breaking down, due to being pushed so hard?

...A literal burnout.

Gavin’s lips twitched into a smile, before he left for the bathroom, wetting a washcloth with cool water, before coming back and placing it on Richard’s forehead. The man twitched and let out a soft noise, but otherwise didn’t stir. He had passed out quite hard. Gavin was glad this happened, while they weren't chasing a suspect, or on the scene of a crime.

He smoothed Richard’s hair back, before standing up. He’d hardly seen Richard eat a thing, during these past few days. No doubt, he’d be starving when he woke up. ...But also, with his body punishing him as it were, Gavin knew he had to go for something light. Seeing Luci-fur join Richard in bed, curling up on his (warm) chest, Gavin left the two, as he went into the kitchen.

“Something light, something light...” he muttered under his breath, looking around. He wasn’t a cooking  model, he didn’t know how to cook. Not like Richard. Yes, he could try and cook, but most of his stuff came out sub-par. ...But Richard still ate it, whenever he cooked. He did offer some supportive  criticism , though. Gavin smiled fondly, before he found what he was looking for.

A can of soup.

Chicken noodle, to boot.

He knew Richard liked his chicken noodle fresh, but like hell Gavin knew how to make that. He was just going to get it in the can, and deal with it, until he was well enough to make that homemade dish on his own.

At least, it’d be  _ something _ in his stomach, that wasn’t pure liquid.

But just as he was halfway through making the soup on the stove, letting it simmer, a horrified scream came from Richard’s room.

And that didn’t come from the cat.

Gavin rushed back into the room, nearly tripping over Luci-fur, as she dashed out, no doubt startled by whatever had happened. Going in, he saw that Richard was no longer in bed, but on the floor, slightly tangled in the sheets. He was curled up into the smallest ball he could imagine, arms over his head, as if protecting himself, trembling like a leaf in the wind. He was whimpering to himself, incoherently, but even though Gavin couldn’t see his face, he knew that...whatever Richard had saw—or heard—had him absolutely terrified.

Gavin didn’t like seeing Richard like  this. At all. Something twisted in his gut—or where his ‘guts’ would be, if he were human—as he heard Richard let out a strangled, terrified cry.

“Hey...Hey, Richard...” Gavin knelt down next to him, hands hovering over him. He didn’t want to make him more afraid. He didn’t want his touch to startle him, either. He felt...rA9, he felt so lost. What was he to do, in a situation like this? He almost pulled up Connor’s number, to see if he had any ideas, but decided against it. Again, he had a feeling Richard wouldn’t want his brother seeing him like this.

“Richard...? Rich, it’s me. It’s Gavin...” he cooed, finally placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Richard was still burning up. Not good. But he didn’t flinch away from his touch, so that was a good sign. Gavin softly called out to him again, and Richard finally uncurled slightly, looking up at Gavin with watery, unfocused eyes. But he could see recognition in them. He carefully pulled Richard into his arms, and cradled him against his chest. He felt Richard shiver even more, as he melted against him, face in his chest. More incoherent mumbles left him, but at least they didn’t sound terrified.

Gavin rocked him gently, holding him tight, until Richard drifted off once more.

He made sure Richard was out, before carefully getting him back into bed, tucking him in. He stayed there for a few moments, just stroking Richard’s hair, observing him. He wondered if he should just send him to the hospital, but he knew how much Richard hated those places. He’d be upset with him, if he sent him there.

...But if push came to shove...

Gavin suddenly remembered the soup on the stove, and swore softly. He leaned over, kissing Richard on the cheek, “Be right back. Forgot something.”

He practically ran out of the room, and was thankful that he hadn’t burnt down Richard’s kitchen. He turned the stove off, the soup having long been done. But with Richard still unconscious, the soup wasn’t going to be eaten, for  awhile . He set the pot aside, before putting a lid on it. That’d keep Luci-fur out of it, and keep it somewhat fresh, until it was cool enough to put into the fridge.

With that settled, he went back to Richard’s room.

Richard had shifted slightly, now on his side. He didn’t look like he was resting peacefully, but at least he was resting. That had to count for something, right?

Gavin got into bed next to Richard, and sat next to him. He threaded his fingers through Richard’s hair, and let his eyes slip closed. He’d go into a light stasis mode, just to monitor him. Once he woke up, he’d see about getting some food into him.

For now, though, he was going to rest. And, hopefully, Richard would continue to.

Gavin was jarred out of stasis, not even two hours later.

He barely caught sight of Richard rushing out of the room, and down the hall to the bathroom. Gavin quickly got out of the bed, following after him, as he heard the sounds of retching.

He knelt down by Richard’s side, as he hung over the toilet. His shirt was becoming soaked with sweat, and he was trembling from the effort of throwing up. Gavin did note that it was nothing  solid ; which meant that Richard hadn’t eaten a bite today, and had only literally survived on energy drinks and coffee. Which explained why he was trembling so much.

The bout didn’t last long, and Gavin let Richard lean against him heavily, as he flushed the toilet. He leaned Richard up against the side of the tub briefly, getting two different washcloths, wetting them both, before kneeling back down, wiping the mess away from Richard’s mouth, before using the other washcloth to dab away at the sweat gathering along his brow, and chest. He shivered at the cooler temperature.

“Gavin...Gavin, I’m...I’m so sorry...”

Gavin nearly dropped the washcloth in shock. It was the first coherent words Richard had spoken in hours. He dabbed away the rest of the sweat, speaking to him softly, as Richard continued to apologize, before carefully getting him off the floor of the bathroom, and back into bed. Richard needed a change of clothes; his were soaked with sweat, though thankfully, no vomit had gotten on them.

But just as he turned away to look for new clothes, Richard reached out, grabbing his wrist with surprising strength.

“Please...Please, Gavin...I-I’m sorry...” Richard whimpered out, glazed eyes wide, “Please...I’m so s-sorry...Don’t leave me...Please, don’t leave me don’t leave me, please don’t...”

Gavin realized that Richard’s eyes weren’t glazed over, they had been tearing up. And now those tears started to fall.

He quickly got into bed with Richard, pulling him close. Richard curled into him, burying his face into Gavin’s chest, as he sobbed quietly, apologies continuing to stream from him, in-between sobs. Gavin just held onto him tightly, rubbing his back. Richard really had pushed himself to a breaking point... Gavin felt his own heart break, as he kissed the top of Richard’s head.

“Shh, it’s okay...” he said softly, “It’s okay, it’s all okay. ...Those things you said...I know you didn’t mean them. You were stressed, and. ..I probably didn’t use the right words, and made things worse. Really,  ** I ** should be the one apologizing, not you...”

Richard’s sobbing died down slightly, and he finally lifted his head, face wet with tears and snot, eyes red from crying.

“You...You won’t...leave me...?” he  hiccupped , eyes wide, “Even...though, I’m...I’m a fail—”

Gavin stopped him, knowing what was coming next, as he claimed Richard’s lips in a kiss.

That quickly silenced him, and helped him relax. But it also gave Gavin the opportunity to do an analysis, to make sure Richard wasn’t sick.

Thankfully, he wasn’t. He was dehydrated, and running low on certain vitamins, but he wasn’t sick. He was just very exhausted, and his body was making him pay for it.

“You’re not a failure, Richard.” said Gavin, as he pulled back, moving his hands up to cup at Richard’s face, “I love you. You’ll never be a failure to me. Never.”

Richard’s eyes watered up again, looking about ready to cry once more.

“Just rest, okay?” continued Gavin softly, stroking Richard’s cheek with one hand, feeling him lean into it, eyes fluttering closed, a few stray tears trailing down his cheeks, “You need it. Fuck, you need it. I’m not going anywhere, okay? I’ll be right here, right with you. I’ll help you recover...if you let me.”

Gavin laid Richard back down, holding him close. For a few moments, Richard was silent. Gavin had thought he had gone back to sleep, before he felt him shift again.

“I. ..don’t feel good...” he said softly, trembling as he clung to Gavin, “...I need...I need help...please...Help me feel better, Gavin...please...”

Gavin felt his  thirium pump skip a beat, and then break, practically, at how  _ fragile _ Richard sounded. 

He held Richard close, one hand stroking his hair, the other gently rubbing at his back, “I’m here, Rich. I’ll help you. I’m not going anywhere, I’m right here.”

He kissed the top of Richard’s head, as he let himself purr. A little technique he learned, while being with Richard. If he let his biocomponents vibrate slightly, the sounded very similar to a cat purring. It didn’t hurt him, nor damage anything, so he did it whenever he felt it’d help Richard relax. Which is what he needed right now.

The purring, combined with the gentle touches, eased Richard back to sleep.

Gavin continued, until his scans showed that Richard was finally deeply asleep. His breathing was slow and even, and as he pulled back, he could see Richard actually look peaceful, for once. He was still rather pale, and the bags under his eyes hadn’t improved, but at least he was truly resting.

Gavin finally let himself relax, seeing that.

He kissed Richard’s forehead, before holding him close again. He knew, or rather hoped, that Richard would be hungry, when he woke up. The soup was still on the stove. He could have that, and maybe some crackers. Something light, for his stomach. He just hoped the soup passed the test.

For now, though, he continued to hold Richard close, adjusting his body temperature to make Richard more comfortable. If his fever spiked, he cooled himself down. If he started getting cold, he’d warm his body up. It was making his systems a little confused, but Gavin didn’t care. He’d deal with that later.

“I love you, Richard...” he whispered into Richard’s hair, placing a kiss on the top of his head once more.

It didn’t  matter if Richard ever ranked up. Or even if it took 20 years for him to do so. It didn’t matter. Gavin would never think of him as a failure. Never.

And he would always love him, never leaving his side.

Never.


	20. Day 20--Tentacles Save the Day (reed900)

This was supposed to be an easy case.

Gavin was to go undercover, in a drug ring that the DPD had been trying to bust for months. After several failed attempts, it was time to send one of their own, into the lion’s den. Gavin fit right in, with his brash attitude and language. He was easily picked up, and brought into the fold. Almost too easily. But the gang didn’t seem to be really  suspicious of anything, so Gavin figured he was doing something right.

He ended up being roped in as a bodyguard, there to stand watch during drug deals, and also to act as a bouncer, and security, at the local club the drug ring owned. The club was just like any normal club; loud music, flashing neon lights, dancing, drinking, drugs and sex. The first time Gavin set foot in the club, it wasn’t the décor or the lights that got his attention.

It was the large aquarium in the center of the entire thing.

Because inside, was a mermaid.

Rather, mer _ man _ , but instead of a fish tail on his lower half, it was a mass of tentacles. Octopus-like tentacles, judging from the suckers he saw.

The owner bragged about the price he had gotten for ‘Richard’ as he was called (‘So we could call him a ‘dick’ and get away with it!’), but Gavin was only half-paying attention. He was too mesmerized by this...creature. This gorgeous creature, that was glaring at him with icy eyes. He was decked out in jewelry, and what looked like silks, that complimented his body and colors. He was utterly gorgeous...

Gavin had to physically be turned away, so he would stop staring.

As his undercover mission continued, he couldn’t stray far from the aquarium. The gorgeous creature lazily swam around, the silks and  jewelry on him moving with his body. He was truly a sight to behold. But he looked at all the humans around his tank with such disdain. As if the glass was the only thing separating him from reaching out with his tentacles, and strangling them. It was obvious, to Gavin, that he didn’t want to be there.

And Gavin knew he didn’t belong there.

He used his role as security and bouncer to make sure no one hit up against the glass of the tank. He did his best to low-key protect the creature, as much as he could. Even when it was last call, and he got to roam around the club to make sure there was no one hiding behind, he often just stood next to the tank, and talked with the creature. He had no idea if he could understand him or not, but after a few days of that, the creature started get closer. His gaze wasn’t as heated, when he looked at Gavin. It was becoming  gentler . Almost hopeful.

Such gazes like that  often made Gavin’s face get rather red. But he couldn’t help it. He was smitten with this creature named Richard, and he knew he had to find a way to get him out of there. Gavin was surprised, and thankful, that the gang didn’t question why he was talking with the merman...thing. Creature. It felt like sin to call him ‘Richard,’ given their explanation for naming him that. But Gavin just knew that, whenever the bust happened, he’d have to take the creature with him. He’d explain to the DPD later.

But just as things were getting ready for the bust to happen, of course something had to go awry.

The club had cleared out of normal patrons for the night, and the gang was meeting up to discuss a deal that was going to happen. The deal that Gavin knew the DPD was going to bust. They had all their ducks lined up, they were ready to take this gang down...

And then the front door was busted down.

Then the firefight started.

Gavin barely had time to duck behind a couch, before the spot he was standing in was showered with bullets. He heard a few names being thrown around, but one caught his ear. It was a rival gang, from across town. Gavin swore loudly, his voice drowned out by the gunfire.

Of course, he’d end up in the middle of a gang war.

Taking advantage of the chaos, he alerts the nearby teams of what’s going on. Hopefully back-up would get here soon. But just as he ended the call, a loud crash sounded behind him, and suddenly he was showered with shards of glass...and cold water, making him yelp, and move out of the way. The water was slightly salty, as he spluttered. He felt something sting and throb in his back, and knew one of the shards had stabbed into him. He swore, reaching behind him to yank it out, when something bodily fell next to him.

It wasn’t one of the gang members.

It was the octo-mermaid from the tank.

Gavin barely had the time to take him in, before looking up at him. His tentacles moved around weakly, struggling as if a real octopus on land. But what got his attention more, was the fact that this creature was gasping. Looked like he was struggling to breathe. He  _ couldn’t _ breathe. Not out of water. And probably wouldn’t last long. And with the tank all but destroyed...

Gavin swore for the umpteenth time that night, drawing out his own gun and shooting anyone near him; they were all bad guys anyways, and they weren’t the heads of the gang, so down they could go. Once they were clear, he moved to the creature and started pulling him up into his arms. The creature struggled, and he felt a few tentacles wrap around him, squeezing in warning.

“Hush, it’s me. I’m here.” said Gavin, hoping the creature could hear him, over the gunfire, “I’m  gonna get you  outta here. Thank God this place is near the harbor. Hold onto me, okay?”

The creature surprisingly seemed to understand, and nodded.

Gavin had a hell of a time lifting him up, as not only was the creature a lot bigger than him, but he was  ** heavy ** . He felt his back strain from the weight, shifting him slightly, as he shot a few more men. By now, both sides seemed to realize that he wasn’t one of them. His cover was blown. If backup came in time, it wouldn’t matter.

A bullet struck his arm, nearly making him drop the creature, but he held fast, running for the door, and shouldering it open, before running out into the street. The shouting followed him, and he knew he didn’t have long.

“Hold on!” he hissed, holding onto the creature’s slippery body, as he took off running. Belatedly, he realized that the tentacles were loosely wrapped around him, so he wouldn’t be tripping over them. The  mer’s body was cold, and a bit slimy. So long as he didn’t dry out, he’d be fine...right? Gavin sure hoped so.

“I know the harbor is dirty, and it’s pretty shitty. Probably literally.” he panted out, wanting to keep the creature’s attention, as he ran towards the harbor, “But it’s water. You’ll be safe there. Pretty sure the harbor eventually leads out to sea. You’ll be free, if you continue that way. Swim as far as you can, away from here, and all these fuckin’ humans. You’ll be safer, away from here.”

He missed the way the  mer was looking up at him, eyes wide, almost adoring him. But the moment didn’t last long, as Gavin skidded around a corner, seeing and hearing water, splashing up against concrete walls. Grinning, he ran over to the edge. Hearing water, the  mer loosened his grip, and Gavin all but tossed the guy into the water. A bit...crudely, but he heard a loud splash. He had made it. He was about to lean over into the water to apologize...

When a gunshot rang out.

Moments later, Gavin felt a hot pain in his abdomen, and looking down he confirmed that. For there was blood blossoming around his stomach, right where a hole was for the exit wound.

He’d been shot.

Shit.

Gavin staggered around, barely getting a glimpse at one of the gang members, gun aimed his way, before he toppled backwards. It was a short fall, until he hit the water. The ice-cold water almost drowned out the white-hot pain in his stomach...

But everything went black soon afterwards.

‘Richard’ as he had been called, let himself float under the water briefly, letting himself actually breathe, before he straightened himself. Almost immediately, he tore off the jewelry and silks that the humans had forced him to dress up in. He hated them. Neptune, he hated those humans. He was glad to be away from them. But just as he ripped away the last of the silks, a loud splash got his attention, and he glanced up.

A human body was sinking into the water. They had been hurt, if the amount of blood coming from them was any indication. With a jolt, he realized that it was the human that saved him. The same one that talked with him through the tank, and kept others from bothering him. A kind human, in the sea of cruel ones.

He quickly swam over to him, tentacles wrapping loosely around his motionless body. His eyes were closed. He drew the man into his arms, and pressed his ear against his chest. He...assumed the heart was here, and sure enough, he heard it beating. But it was soft. Faint. He had been terribly hurt. A human hurt by human weapons.

Humans were truly awful, even to their own.

‘Richard’ pulled back, looking him over. The human didn’t have much time left. He had to act quick. Humans couldn’t breathe underwater, and getting hurt in the stomach probably wasn’t helping him, either.

He had been told, throughout his life, that his magic was to be used only in extreme cases, and  _ never _ on humans. He never questioned why. He had been afraid of humans, as a child, and now as an adult, he just hated them. But not this one. This one saved him, and had even told him to run away to the ocean. This human...This human was different. He wanted to save him. He wanted to save his life.

And so he was going to.

His arms wrapped around him, as he placed his lips over the human’s, breathing into him. His tentacles wrapped loosely around his body, as one drew up his shirt. Out of the corner of his eye, ‘Richard’ could see the wound. It was bad, and still bleeding. He had a literal hole in him. Humans weren’t supposed to have holes there. He let his tentacles wrap around the man’s abdomen, squeezing just gently.

‘Richard’ felt the human twitch in his arms, releasing a gasp against his lips. He kept him close, not wanting him to move away. He could use his magic to ‘feed’ oxygen to the human. And  so he did. The human struggled slightly, eyes fluttering open. Cool eyes stared back at him. The human froze, either out of shock or recognition. It was hard to tell. ‘Richard’ let his own eyes flutter closed, as he continued to ‘kiss’ this human, giving him air.

The tentacles around his abdomen started to glow. They pressed a little tighter against the wound, and the human squirmed, letting out a noise into ‘Richard’s’ mouth. A few tentacles stroked along the man’s back, away from the entry wound, to try and soothe him. The glow around the tentacles increased, as ‘Richard’ let his magic start to repair this human, from the inside out. He didn’t know much about human bodies, but so long as he stopped the bleeding, then maybe other nice humans could save him.

Just as the glowing started to diminish, his work done, ‘Richard’ opened his eyes once more, just in time to see the human’s roll back into his head, as his body went limp in the water. He had passed out. ‘Richard’ pulled away from the human’s lips briefly, to press his head against his chest. His heart was still beating. It was still a little weak, but  it was beating. He would live.

He quickly made it up to the surface, letting the human’s head above water, as he looked around. Where would nice humans be? ...What were nice humans, anyways? ‘Richard’ swam around slightly, looking for somewhere to drop the human in his arms off. The water was cold, but he was used to it. The human was already starting to shiver, looking paler than normal. He frowned, looking around nervously.

The man wasn’t going to die from his wounds, he was going to die from the cold.

Then he heard shouting.

“Gavin! Gavin!?”

‘Richard’ almost ducked under water, but he paused at the name the humans were shouting. ‘Gavin’...was that the human he had in his arms? He recalled him saying a name, and it did sound similar...perhaps that was him? He carefully swam over, near to where the humans were shouting the name. They didn’t look like the ones that had captured him. In fact, as they scanned the water, they almost seemed...worried. A smaller, darker skinned human was keeping a larger, furry human from jumping into the water.

They really wanted to find this Gavin...

Taking a chance, ‘Richard’ quietly used his tentacles to pull himself out of the water. He was out of their line of vision, for now. He set Gavin down on the cold ground, looking at the wound briefly, that he had healed up. It still looked a little pulpy, but it wasn’t bleeding. But he was pale, and had lost a lot of blood. He needed human care, now.

‘Richard’ smiled warmly at, who he believed was Gavin, reaching a hand out and stroking his cold cheek. He wanted to see him again...

Maybe he’d figure out how.

He looked over to the other humans, seeing them about to leave. While ‘Richard’ wasn’t proficient in the human language, he did hear enough to try and mimic it. And so...

“HEY!”

The moment he shouted, he quickly went over the edge, back into the water, just as lights flashed over towards where he had been. He heard a rush of footsteps, and swam a bit away, before coming up over the edge, watching from the darkness, as the humans came to Gavin’s side. He couldn’t quite hear what they were saying, but the larger, furrier human had pulled Gavin into his arms, putting some clothing on him, no doubt to keep him warm.

“Shit...Chris, call the medics! Looks like he’s been shot!” said the larger human, to the darker skinned human—Chris, from the looks of it.

Chris nodded, dashing back towards where they had left their...vehicle. A car, ‘Richard’ believed it was called. He watched the furrier human hold Gavin close to him for a bit longer, before he stood up, scooping Gavin into his arms.

‘Richard’ watched them retreat, before the car peeled away, making a loud screeching noise, as it disappeared into the night. He sat there for a moment, before slinking back into the water. He hoped Gavin would be all right.

He just wanted to know how he could see him again...

It was almost a month after that incident, that Gavin found himself at home.

The last thing he remembered was falling into the water. The first thing he remembered, upon coming to in the hospital, was Hank both swearing at him for being careless, and also looking on the verge of tears. Gavin wouldn’t never  thought his partner one for crying, but here he was. He was...almost a bit touched that Hank had cared so much, given how rough their relationship could be.

But as he recovered in the hospital, he couldn’t stop having certain dreams. Dreams of being in a cold embrace, of soft lips against his, as icy eyes stared into his soul. There had been an almost bluish glow as well, making his body feel warm. ...And then that’s where the dream ended.

Gavin just chalked it up to nearly dying in the harbor. But those eyes certainly looked like they belonged to a certain creature...

He hoped that ‘Richard’ had made it back out to sea. He was tempted to ask Hank and Chris, who had found him, unconscious, at the edge of the harbor, if they had seen him. But, as far as he was concerned, mermaids, and the like, were mythical creatures. They didn’t exist. And he didn’t want them worrying that he was being delirious. He vividly remembered holding that creature’s body against his, feeling those slimy tentacles clinging to him, as he ran him to the harbor, to save him.

...Had...Had ‘Richard’ saved him, then?

Gavin shook his head, as he went to the fridge. He had only been out of the hospital for a week. He had gotten shot, and while the bullet had gone right through him, it should’ve torn up his stomach and internal organs more than it should’ve. The doctors said that it looked like he had been mended already. Which made absolutely no sense. But everything still hurt, and his stomach was highly sensitive. He could only eat and drink certain things, until the medication he was on helped him heal the rest of the way.

It’d give him a cool scar to brag about, once everything was said and done.

He sighed, pulling out a strawberry banana smoothie Hank had bought him a case of, the other night (‘Doc said you didn’t need to be up and about, so I went  shoppin ’ for you. Just don’t drink and eat everything all in one sitting, you ass.’) and opened it, drinking from it. Gavin didn’t like the texture of it, but at least the taste wasn’t bad. Once he bought himself a blender that worked, he could make his own. But Hank had taken care of him enough already. He had even spent a few nights over, once Gavin returned home, to make sure that he’d be fine.

Hank was a strange one, at times, but Gavin was growing fond of him

As if he’d outwardly admit that.

Just as he carefully knelt down to pet his cat, there was a knock at the door.

Gavin frowned, as he stood back up. Who was there? Hank had a key to his place, and would just come on in. And he was pretty sure it wasn’t a  solicitor , this early in the morning.

“Who is it?” he called out, but the only response he got was more knocking. It sounded more urgent, now. Gavin sighed, as he made his way to the door, “Unless you’re selling Girl Scout cookies, I don’t want anything you’re sellin—”

Gavin opened the door. And had to look down to see who had been knocking.

He nearly screamed, seeing it was that same octopus mermaid (merman) that he had saved from the club.

The creature was breathing hard, but looked relieved as he raised a hand—and a few tentacles—up in a wave.

“...Shit!”

Gavin quickly looked around, to make sure no one was looking, before grabbing the creature and pulling him inside. He felt his recovering injury throb a bit from the effort, but he didn’t care. He quickly slammed the door shut, before dragging him to the bathroom. He was very glad he had a tub now, as he all but dumped the poor guy into it, before turning on the water. He splashed up some water on him, waiting for it to fill up, before switching to the showerhead, letting the mer get soaked with water.

He seemed absolutely relieved at that.

Arm wrapped around his aching gut, Gavin sat on the toilet, watching the octopus mermaid soak up the water, before he reached out and turned it off. He didn’t need his bathtub overflowing, water damage was expensive as shit to fix.

“How...How the hell did you find me?” asked Gavin, in pure disbelief. The harbor was at least an hour drive. Not to mention, this creature had probably never left that tank, after he had been captured. How did he know his way around?

The creature just smiled at him, as he raised up a tentacle and poked it at Gavin, “...Saved you.”

Gavin blinked. That was the first time he heard him speak. There was an accent to be sure, and it seemed like he didn’t understand how human words worked, if how the words sounded was any indication.

“...S...Saved...me?”

“Saved. Saved you. You.”

Gavin blinked...and nearly fell off the toilet in shock. The dream that he had been having... It hadn’t been a dream. That actually happened. ‘Richard’ had saved him, when he had gotten shot, and fell into the water. ‘Richard’ had kissed him, giving him oxygen, and somehow used some...weird mermaid magic to heal his wound, to a point.

“...Fuckin’ hell...” he breathed, letting out a disbelieving chuckle, as he shook his head, “You...You did save me. It was you, underwater, that...” He tapped at his stomach lightly, before tentacles came out and lifted up his shirt, making him yelp out in surprise, “H-Hey! Careful, don’t touch the bandages!”

While the wound had healed, for the most part, the stitches were still in place, at least for a few more days.

Once the tentacles retreated, Gavin pulled his shirt back down, face utterly red. He huffed, seeing the creature watch him. He seemed both amused, and concerned. Before Gavin could ask anything, he watched the creature slip further into the tub, going underwater for a few moments, before coming back up, looking refreshed.

“...I saved you...and you saved me.” said Gavin, smiling a little, “...Guess we’re even now. Thanks.”

‘Richard’ just smiled warmly, making Gavin’s heart skip a beat.

He was safe and sound, and so was this creature. He still had no idea how he managed to find him, but he could ask that later. But, for right now...

Guess he had an octopus living in this bathtub.


	21. Day 21--Witch (reed900-reverse AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am horrible at describing outfits. I hope Richard's costume makes sense!

It was Gavin’s first Halloween, and he was extremely excited.

Not only that, but the DPD was holding an after-hours staff Halloween party, and they had to come dressed up. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one excited. He and Richard spent hours  pouring over the laptop, looking out outfits to wear. Richard apparently had already picked his out weeks before. But he wouldn’t tell Gavin what it was.

_ “It’s a secret.”  _ he had said, giving his android a peck on the cheek, before turning back to his laptop.

In the end, Gavin picked out a werewolf-like costume. Richard got him only the best accessories for the part. Not only did Gavin have the ears (which androids could sync with, and Gavin could move them to his will), furry gloves and boot warmers, a torn flannel shirt, and torn jeans, but also a wolf tail, that he could connect with, and move at his leisure (though he had seen Richard look up ones that had a butt plug attachment, and Gavin had never blushed so blue in his life). Richard had almost bought him fangs, but Gavin had those, standard.

Why a model like him had retractable canines, was beyond him.

Kinky Cyberlife bastards.

Gavin’s outfit was easy to put together, and he did it all on his own, going into the bathroom and giving himself a look over. The fur on the ears, tail, legs, and arms were brown, like his hair. With a flash of his LED, he let the tail and ears move, almost as naturally as if they were truly a part of him from the start. He snarled into the mirror, baring those fangs, before chuckling.

Oh, this was going to be great. He couldn’t wait!

He touched at the collar that was loosely around his neck; something Richard had added on, last minute. It was a big thick, as if meant for a larger dog, but it was loose enough that it wasn’t choking the GV200 unit. And the leash hung loosely, and he had three guesses who was going to be holding it.

Taking it, so he didn’t trip on it, he went over to Richard’s closed bedroom door and knocked.

“C’mon,  meatsack , what’s taking so long?” he asked, “Got your premium dick caught in your zipper?”

He heard Richard sigh heavily behind the closed door, and could just imagine him rolling his eyes, “Just piss off for a moment, Gavin. I’m almost ready.”

“Geeze, don’t get your panties in a twist...” muttered Gavin, stepping away from the door, but before he got too far...

“I’m not wearing any.”

Hearing that comment made him stutter, and whirl around, staring at the closed door. He swore softly, mumbling about ‘stupid humans’ but the thought still made his biocomponents warm up nicely. Not wanting to get aroused before the party, and be sporting a boner through the thing, he settled on the couch, pulling his tail into his lap. Out of all the things on him, the tail fascinated him the most. As he stroked it, he could actually  _ feel _ the pressure of his hand against the furry appendage. It was odd, and...exciting, in a way.

He got lost in stroking his tail, before he heard the bedroom door open.

“About damn time!” said Gavin, getting to his feet, walking around the couch. He was vaguely aware that his tail was actually wagging, “Were you putting on armor, or someth—”

Gavin—and his tail—stopped dead, as he watched Richard come down the hallway.

Richard was completely clad in black. He had applied some make-up to his face, some lovely dark shades of eye shadow and liner, and even some mascara, making his already long lashes stand out. His lips had a soft sheen to them, and Gavin wouldn’t be surprised if Richard had put on lipstick, or gloss. Further down, his entire torso was bare, minus a pentagram body harness, that wrapped around his broad chest, up along his shoulders and neck, and down below his pant line. The pants, were low-rise leather pants, that hugged every single curve of his body very nicely and bared his lovely hips. It matched the knee-high boots that he had on. He also wore a sheer, black cover that left nothing to the imagination.

To top it all off, he wore a wide-brimmed witch’s hat on his head.

“Well, my dear little wolf...” Richard purred, beckoning Gavin with a single finger, revealing that he was also wearing black nail polish, “How do I look, hmm?”

Gavin was pretty sure his biocomponents were melting, they were so hot. He couldn’t think of an answer. At least, an answer with words. Instead, he let an audio file place in his stead.

** [PLAYING FILE wolfwhistle.mp3] **

Hearing the cartoonish whistle from Gavin, made Richard break his sultry persona, as he busted out laughing, clutching his gut. The laughter from Richard did nothing to cool Gavin’s already warm body.

RA9, did he love this man...

“You’re...fuck, you’re fantastic...!” Gavin went up to him, looking Richard over, hands hovering over him. Everything was on display, practically. His grabbable pecs, his toned shoulders, his tasty hips, “Putting yourself...on such display...You’re  gonna get some attention, for sure. But...But I want...”

Gavin licked his lips, before he felt Richard take his chin into his hand, his cool thumb running over Gavin’s now moist lips, as he smiled at him, “...You want me for yourself, is that it?”

GV200’s voice unit failed to activate, and he could only nod.

Richard smirked, “Be a good little wolf, and I’ll give you a treat, when we get home...”

Richard’s words went right to his dick, and Gavin could feel his half-hard cock press up against his jeans. He let out a soft whimper, as Richard chuckled, letting him go, before stepping around him. Gavin turned around, getting a very nice view of Richard’s ass in those tight leather pants (and being quickly reminded of what he had said earlier, about not wearing underwear). Richard went over to the kitchen counter, digging into a bag there, before pulling out a bottle of black body paint, and a brush.

“Though I need you to add the finishing touches for me.”

The finishes touches, were the phases of the moon...down along his spine. Richard had originally wanted some words and phrases too, but he didn’t want to accidentally write a curse or hex on himself. The moon phases seemed harmless, yet witch-y enough. Gavin was a bit worried about messing up—he wasn’t the artistic type—but Richard reassured him, he’d just be copying an image. That’d be all right.

As soon as Richard took his hat off, and the sheer cover, Gavin got to work. He couldn’t help but smile, as he watched Richard shiver from the cold paint, and the soft brush tickling along his spine. He tried to keep his thoughts at bay, being this close to Richard’s bare, broad back. Gavin...found he liked his human on display like this. He would’ve liked it better, if this had been just for him, and not everyone at work to see, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

Though he was curious about the ‘treat’ that Richard had mentioned...

Taking an internal photo of his finished work, Gavin took off his furry clawed glove and brought the image up in his palm, for Richard to see.

“Perfect.” he said with a smile, turning slightly to kiss Gavin sweetly, “Spray the setting spray on it, and we’ll be ready.”

“Finally?” asked Gavin with a grin, grabbing the spray and spritzing some on along the body paint. Hopefully, that’d keep it from sweating off and smearing. ...Though if that ‘treat’ was any indication, it would be, before the night was done.

“Oh hush.” said Richard, rolling his eyes, as he stood up. He walked around the living room for a few paces, letting the spray on his back dry, before putting the sheer cover on. Seeing Luci-fur on the back of the couch, he lifted her up and placed her on his shoulder. Luci-fur was out of her sweater today, but she did have on a pair of small bat wings. She didn’t seem to mind them at all.

“Luci-fur is coming?”

Richard nodded, “She’s good with others, though she’ll stay on and/or with me, so there’s no problems.” he said, reaching over to scratch under her chin, before holding out his hand, nodding to the  leash, “But let’s get going, before we’re too late.”

“It’ll be all your fault, if we are.” chuckled Gavin, giving the leash to Richard without a second thought, as he headed for the door. But just as he turned the knob, he paused, “...Wait, if you’re a witch, aren’t you missing a broom to ‘ride’ on?”

Richard blinked, before chuckling, putting the hat back on his head, “...Why do I need a broom, when I’ve got  ** you ** ?”

Gavin stammered  wildly , face a dark shade of blue, as Richard laughed heartily, tugging gently on the leash to get Gavin to move.

Tonight was going to be one hell of an interesting night, indeed...


	22. Day 22--Tie Up the Tentacles (Hankcon)

Hank had to admit, in all the years that he had lived, he had never been in this situation before. He was a ‘monster’ of the sea, a legend, a myth that few believed. His body was strong and big, with thick tentacles that could easily squeeze a person, until their head popped off. His form was intimidating, even to those in the sea, and everyone gave him a wide berth. No one dared to cross him, or tame him.

Let alone, try and tie him up.

...But there was always a first time, for everything.

The last time he had been tied up, was when he had gotten accidentally caught in a fishing net. He hadn’t been too happy then, and had busted up the ship quite good, in order to escape.

...Right now, Connor had him, and his tentacles, tied up in this strange...harness thing. He was being slightly suspended above the pool, and he could hear the bonds strain, as his tentacles writhed. Every single one of them had been tied up, even his arms were above his head, tied at the wrists, and held up in this harness thing that Connor had him in. He didn’t quite get it...but he couldn’t complain.

After all, he had a lovely view of Connor riding two of his tentacles right now, both of which were deep inside of him, spreading and filling him.

Connor moaned hotly, bouncing up and down on those thick tentacles inside of him. The two he had in him, were also restrained. Connor had his belt around the tentacles, keeping the ‘leash’ taunt, so that Hank couldn’t pull his tentacles out of him. It was a battle for both of them—the pressure of the belt was almost overwhelming to Hank, and Connor was sweating and shaking so much, that his belt was nearly slipping out of his trembling hand.

He badly wants to take three of Hank’s thick tentacles inside of him, wanting to feel like he was being split apart...but he had to sit down for work tomorrow. If he had three tentacles up his ass right now, he wouldn’t be able to sit down for at least week. But it’d be worth it. But, for tonight, he’d just take two.

Three could come later.

Right now, he bounced and moved into Hank’s tentacles, feeling them pulsing and writhing about within him, stretching him deliciously, chasing that burning pain that was almost too much, but not enough. The restrains creaked and groaned, as Hank struggled to keep his composure, watching Connor intently. He wanted to wrap his tentacles around him, feel him squirm in his grip, as he shoved a thick tentacle down into his throat...

He trembled just at the mere thought.

“Fuck...” he growled out, his tentacles quivering as he watched him, “Such...Such a pretty  lil ’ thing... Lookin ’ so good for me...”

He smirked, seeing Connor shiver, his cock twitching between his legs, already leaking pre. He knew Connor loved to be praised, during sex. And seeing his reactions, Hank was more than glad to oblige.

“...Wanna...touch you so badly...”

“N--Not yet...” gasped out Connor, using his free hand to let go of one of the tentacles he had been holding onto, to reach down between his legs, giving his neglected cock a squeeze, a shuddering breath leaving him, “Y-You...can’t...yet...”

Hank knew it, but he still wanted to, nonetheless.

“You...have t-to learn...restraint...” continued Connor, lithe chest heaving, as his pleasure hazed eyes looked at Hank.

“Says the one...who has a vice grip on my tentacles...” purred Hank, before letting those tentacles inside of him surge up, going even deeper, stretching him even more. Connor arched his back, mouth open as he cried out hoarsely. He felt his hot, slick walls squeeze around his tentacles, and his tentacles pushed back against the pressure slightly.

Connor had wanted to top, thus the restraints. ...But once those tentacles had gotten in him, and Hank started moving them...

Hank had Connor right where he wanted him.

“That’s it, my dear...” rumbled Hank, as he continued to let those tentacles practically thrust into Connor, watching them go deep enough to make his belly swell a little with each thrust. Neptune below, he could take so much, his tiny body could handle so much of it, Hank honestly couldn’t believe it. It was too good to be true, and yet Connor never complained. He never had him stop, and was always begging to be filled.

...He was pretty sure humans called this a ‘size queen’ but he wasn’t currently up to date on human terminology.

“Let me hear you...You’re so good, Connor...Let me hear you...” Hank thrust his tentacles forward, just as he watched Connor move his hips down on them. Another pleasured cry left his human, making his tentacles quiver. And one of the tentacles that Connor had ‘leashed’ up was his own cock. Long, thick, and prehensile, like the rest of his tentacles, it was currently deep within Connor.

And he was going to fill him up good, by the time this was done.

“Gonna...G-Going to...fill you up so good, Con...” he growled out, his body shaking as he felt himself coming closer to orgasm. His body was hot, his tentacles were writhing even more in their bonds. He was close, so close... And so was Connor, if his hot body and twitching cock were any indication. Hank had thought him too far gone for words, but he was proven wrong.

He loved it when his human surprised him.

“P--Please...Please fill me, Hank...” begged Connor, slack jawed and  hazy eyed, body slick with sweat, “Please...F-Fill me up Hank, please...Fill me good...I-I need to be full...So p-please...”

Connor’s body moved eagerly, moving down onto those two tentacles inside of him, tight walls squeezing around them both. Hank moaned hotly, letting them thrust up into him with each movement. It didn’t take long, for that rolling heat to quickly drop and Hank buried his tentacles deep inside of Connor with almost a roar of pleasure, as his  tenta -cock released hard and fast, inside of him.

Feeling Hank’s hot seed spill inside of him, Connor’s back arched, as he came with a hoarse cry, cum splattering onto his hand, onto some of Hank’s bound tentacles, and into the pool below. He kept moving, riding out his orgasm, as Hank’s release continued. Being a big creature, of course he released a lot. Connor knew that, and craved it. He loved feeling Hank’s cum leak out between his thighs...

Hank’s cock was releasing the last bit into Connor, as he watched his human’s eyes roll back into his head, his body going limp with a sigh of pleasure. Hank jerked his tentacles, breaking a few of them of their bonds, as he quickly caught Connor, before he could fall into the pool. Connor was boneless, barely even aware, as his body continued to twitch slightly in the aftermath of pleasure.

Moving him with his tentacles, Hank slowly let those inside of him slip out, watching as nearly a gush of his cum came out, once his tentacles were removed. He heard Connor whimper, as he moved him to lay on his chest. He wished his arms were free so he could hold him, but he’d have to settle with holding him with his tentacles, for now.

He watched Connor slowly come back, eyes fluttering, unfocused.

“I’ve got you, love...I’ve got you...” said Hank softly, his voice rumbling deep within his chest.

He watched Connor’s lips twitch up into a small smile.

Ahh, there he was.

Connor shifted slightly, shivering as he felt more of  Hank’s release leak out of him. His trembling hand ghosted down to his own belly, rubbing it slightly, gently pressing on it. Hank chuckled, knowing what he was feeling for.

“Didn’t fill you enough to make you  _ that _ full.” he said, using his tentacles to move Connor up further, so he could kiss his head. It smelled of his shampoo, sweat, and the pool, “Maybe next time, I can do that. Maybe next time, I’ll breed you, and truly fill you with my seed...”

Connor slowly raised his head, staring at Hank.

...If it weren’t for the restraints, Hank would’ve pounced on Connor, with the hungry, doe-eyed hopeful look he gave him.

Looks liked they knew what to do, for next time.


	23. Day 23--Tentacle Porn (reed900)

Gavin had no idea how this had worked out for him. Normally, he was a fuck-up. He fucked things up, when he tried them. Everything from cooking, to relationships. That was just who he was, and he had come to terms with that years ago. He was just that kind of person.

So, when he got drunk and horny one night, and somehow ended on the side of the Internet that had rituals for summoning ‘Lust Demons’ as the side proclaimed, he was all for it. Especially the one that had several appendages that looked like tentacles. Because, why not? He’d give it a shot, and see what happens. If anything, he’d summon the wrong demon, and his soul would be toast.

Whatever, he’d deserve that.

What Gavin  _ didn’t _ expect, however, was for the ritual to actually work.

He expected something violent to happen, when the scribbled runes on his floor suddenly started glowing. But instead of red, they were...blue? Did he really do this right? The runes had glowed bright enough for him to force his eyes shut, but once they dimmed and he was able to see, he stumbled back until he fell on his ass in shock, at what was before him.

The creature (?) in front of him what completely black. It was almost hard to see it, in the dark room, as the runes had stopped glowing. It had a humanoid shape...but surrounding it, and coming out of its body, were several long, thick tentacles. Gavin couldn’t see any hands. And where the head was, two glowing blue eyes were staring right at him.

** _ “So. _ ** ** _ ..shall _ ** ** _ we begin?” _ **

The creature’s voice had a low timbre, one that made Gavin shiver with pleasure. He hoped he did this ritual right. Because this guy (?) was all of his wet dreams combined...

And that’s where he found himself now, tangled in those thick tentacles, wrapped around his naked body. His hands grasped at the slimy appendages, one already thrusting into his throat, as he moaned around it, slime and drool dripping down his chin. But he didn’t care. This felt so good, this was so good, this couldn’t be real—

** _ “Are you still with me?” _ **

Gavin’s eyes fluttered open, seeing the creature move closer, the unused tentacles moving around him. A thinner one had wrapped around his cock, and was slowly pumping him, his cock already hard and leaking, he was so aroused. Belatedly, he realized nothing had been inside of him, yet. Just the one in his mouth. He heard the creature chuckle, in that lovely low voice, and Gavin couldn’t help but shiver.

** _ “I haven’t even penetrated you yet, my pet... Yet you look so debauched already...” _ ** he purred, a tentacle moving up to stroke against Gavin’s cheek, as he leaned into the touch,  ** _ “My, my... You’ll truly be a wreck, once I have some of my tentacles inside of you...” _ **

Plural. Plural tentacles.

Gavin let out a whimper of pleasure.

He felt the first one breech him easily, slick with its own lubricant. It stung, stretching him abruptly, but Gavin always did like it rough. The pain quickly gave way to pleasure, and he arched, straining against the tentacles binding him, as he felt it move deeper and deeper inside. His mind was racing with all sorts of thought, quickly becoming more incoherent, as pleasure took over.

_ Yes _ _ _ _ yes _ _ _ _ yes _ _ please oh God yes, please fuck me with those please stretch me to my limits, please oh please... _

Gavin cried out around the tentacle deep in his throat, as he felt that single tentacle  give a firm thrust into him, before starting up a slow rhythm. Gavin did his best to move into that tentacle, breathing hard through his nose. His jaw was aching, from deep-throating the tentacle in his mouth for so long, but he didn’t want it to stop. The small logical part of his brain was telling him that all of this was a bad idea, that having sex with a creature that he  _ summoned _ was a terrible idea...

But the majority of Gavin, and the pleasure he was feeling, told that part of his brain to shut the fuck up.

The tentacles around his legs spread them out even further, as he felt not one, but two more tentacles start to penetrate him. He whined, biting down on the tentacle in his mouth, as he felt them stretch him to his absolute limits. He had taken large toys and cocks in him before...but this took the cake. The pain was almost unbearable, and Gavin quaked in the tentacles’ grasp. Breathing was hard now, and he was barely aware of the tentacle in his mouth leaving him, making his gasps more audible, as he slipped away from his lips.

** _ “Breathe, my pet. Breathe... It’ll be all right... I’ve got you.” _ ** purred the creature, sounding like he was right behind him. Gavin let out a strangled, pleasured noise as he felt a tentacle envelop his cock again, giving it a firm, but pleasant squeeze. More tentacles gently stroked his face, went through his hair, ran down his back, and teased at his nipples. Teasing, but calming gestures, and Gavin soon found that he could breathe once more.

And that those tentacles had already moved deep inside of him, by that point.

He had taken three tentacles inside of him, now. Three. Three of these slimy appendages that were absolutely making a mess of him. Dark slime covered his body, combining with his sweat. The creature seemed to be all around him, completely enclosing him in with all of his tentacles. And Gavin didn’t care. He didn’t care if it broke his body, he’d take as many tentacles into every hole he had...

This felt so good, even if his soul was  forfeit after this, it would’ve been so, so worth it.

“B--Break... Break me...” he gasped out, his tongue feeling thick with pleasure, as he struggled to speak once more, “Please...B-Break me...Fill me up...Ra. ..Ravage me...”

The creature purred, as those three tentacles surged up inside of Gavin, causing him to cry out loudly, bucking his hips hard, as he clenched around them. They were filling him up so much, he wouldn’t be surprised if he had a bulge in his stomach, from how much they were completely filling him to the brim.

** _ “Now  _ ** ** _ now _ ** ** _ ... I’m not going to break you...”  _ ** said the creature, and Gavin could’ve sworn one of the tentacles formed into a human-like hand, and cupped his cheek. He whimpered, resting against it, feeling something like a thumb stroke along his cheek bone,  ** _ “You’re too precious to break, my dear pet. ...But if you want to be filled...then so be it.” _ **

Gavin let out a questioning noise, before he absolutely screamed, feeling those three thick tentacles start to truly thrust into him now. He was pretty sure one had locked onto his prostate, and was slamming into it, causing stars to pop up in his vision. He had never felt pleasured like this, in his entire time alive. Pleasure was completely taking over; he didn’t care that he sounded like a right whore, or that he was practically drooling from being slack-jawed and gasping. It was so overwhelming, he felt tears prick at his eyes. But he wasn’t scared, or in pain. He didn’t want it to stop. He wanted it to continue, it felt so good, and it felt so good, it was moving him to tears.

He wished he knew this creature’s name, so he could scream it for everyone to hear. He wanted everyone to know who was absolutely owning him right now.

A tentacle passed by his mouth, and he tried to lean into it, wanting it to fuck his throat, just like the ones in his ass were fucking him. It pulled away, as he mouthed at it, whimpering as its slime coated his lips, “P...Ple...Please... Please...!”

** _ “Hush...” _ ** cooed the creature,  ** _ “I want to hear you, pet. I know you’re close... You’re so very close... Will you come for me? Will you do that, for your master?” _ **

Gavin didn’t barely register that the creature referred to himself as his ‘master.’ But right now, all he wanted to do was please him. The pleasure was so great, and he knew that if he pleased this creature, he’d get more. He’d get that release that was building up inside of him. And while he was filled with tentacles, he wanted to be fill even more. He wanted this creature’s release to be leaking out of him for hours, reminding him of this lovely night.

The creature asked his question again, and Gavin could only nod.

The tentacles continued their assault, and Gavin was screaming and crying himself hoarse. He couldn’t even give any warning, as he felt his orgasm quickly approaching. Gavin was pretty sure his back was going to be broken, from arching back so much, especially as his climax came crashing down on him. He wasn’t even sure if he screamed, as his own release splattered over the tentacles close by, and even up onto his chest, mixing in with the slime. The tentacles still moved inside of him, one teasing his prostate, milking him for everything he was worth.

With a growl so deep, that Gavin could feel it tremble through the tentacles around him, the creature came as well.

Gavin could feel the hot seed filling him up inside, and with the tentacles still attacking his nearly overstimulated prostate, he almost came again. He could feel the creature’s release continue to come and come... He felt it start to leak out between his legs, coating his thighs and cheeks. But it still kept  _ going _ . A broken whimper left him, as unfocused eyes glanced down, swearing he could’ve seen his belly start to swell, from all the cum being pumped into him.

This was more that he could’ve ever dreamed about.

And it was actually happening to him.

He was barely aware of the tentacles truly starting to wrap around him. His room was slowly turning black, as he felt himself being pulled into...something. Whatever it was, it was warm, and covered him. He couldn’t see the tentacles, or feel them, but he couldn’t move. It was like he was being pulled into a void. But Gavin didn’t care. He was still feeling pleasure, as the darkness completely took over, blocking his sight.

He didn’t even care of this creature was dragging him into his belly, it had all been so worth it.

Letting out a sigh of pleasure, Gavin let his eyes roll back into his head, as he felt himself falling...falling...falling...

And then, he knew nothing more.

Gavin woke up with a start.

For several moments, he laid there, breathing heavily, as he stared up at his ceiling. He knew this ceiling. It was the ceiling in his room. His hands were clutching the sheets underneath of him. He was in bed. But how? Last thing he remembered, he was in his living room, doing that ritual. ...Had it worked? Or had all of that been one  helluva wet dream?

As his heart calmed down, Gavin moved to roll over, groaning as he felt his body protest. ...And then he paused, feeling something dribble out between his legs. He reached behind, trailing his finger through it, before bringing it up to the light to see.

While it wasn’t white, it was the same consistency of cum. ..but tinged blue. The same blue as the creature’s eyes, and the glow of the runes that had summoned him.

So it  _ had _ been real...

Gavin smiled, almost giddily, as he carefully got out of bed. His legs felt like  jello , and it took a moment for him to regain his strength, before he stood up, heading towards the bathroom. Despite being covered in slime and sweat, he felt...rather clean. And despite being fucked within an inch of his life, he actually felt refreshed. Gavin couldn’t remember the last time he woke up, feeling this good.

Heading into the bathroom, he turned on the lights...and froze.

Markings, almost rune-like in appearance, were around his neck, fashioned like a collar. They were also around his wrists, and as he turned around, they trailed down his back, stopping just short of his ass. Looking down, the runes were around his ankles, too.

“What the f--”

Looking back in the mirror, the creature was standing right behind him.

Gavin found he couldn’t scream.

** _ “Good morning...”  _ ** purred the creature, and Gavin couldn’t see a mouth moving, as his dark form moved closer, a tentacle moving up to stroke at Gavin’s cheek,  ** _ “I’m going to enjoy having you as my pet...for the rest of time.” _ **


	24. Day 24--Bleeding Out (reed900-reverse AU)

Richard was pretty sure he was dying. 

He couldn’t move, his entire abdomen was hot with pain, and the taste of his own blood was heavy on his tongue. 

He and Gavin had been chasing after a suspect. And, as it turned out, there had been two of them. Logic stated that it’d be easier to split, and go after one each. And so they did. It was going fine at first, the chase going as any other would. The perp knocking stuff over to block Richard from chasing him, winding around corners, trying to lose him. But just as Richard got close enough to try and tackle the guy down, he spun around rather quick, taking Richard off-guard. The guy threw a punch at his jaw, stunning him briefly, before yanking him close— 

And stabbing him in the stomach. 

Once. Twice... Richard lost count after the second one, the white-hot pain clouding his senses, as he was shoved back, collapsing down onto the ground. 

And that’s where he found himself, now. 

He hadn’t been stabbed too many times, before. Shot? Yes. He still bore some scars from gunshot wounds. Cut? Yes, he’d been sliced with knives and other sharp things, and again had some scars from those. But stabbed? Most criminals went for guns, not knives. Guns were more effective, and more threatening. A knife could easily do a lot of damage, but a single stab usually wouldn’t kill a person. 

...Multiple stabs, however, could. 

Richard heard himself let out a noise, as he tried to keep breathing. He was pretty sure he didn’t get stabbed in the lungs, but at this point, it was hard to tell ** where ** exactly that knife had landed. He could _ feel _ his own blood starting to pool underneath of him, soaking his clothes and his coat. His goddamn coat that he had _ just _ cleaned. It was going to be a lost cause, now. 

But somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he was in trouble. And if he didn’t get help soon...this could very well be the place where he’d die. 

...He must’ve dozed off, as he was suddenly aware of someone saying his name. It sounded so far off, echoing around in his lingering conscious state. Unfocused eyes stared right up at the dark, night sky. It was cloudy—probably about to rain. He moved his head slightly, and he saw the one saying his name. Rather, he saw the bright red LED first, before he realized who was next to him. 

GV200. Gavin. Gavin was next to him. 

His mouth was moving rapidly, but Richard could barely hear him, let along understand him. He wasn’t sure if Gavin had caught his perp or not. He wanted to ask...but he figured now wasn’t the time. He could barely talk anyways, and keeping his eyes open was becoming a chore. He felt...tired. He could easily just close his eyes and drift off, and that sounded much easier than staying awake. He did let himself blink, but as he did so, he realized that Gavin’s face was wet. 

But it wasn’t raining...was it? 

He belatedly realized that the reason Gavin’s face was wet, was because he was crying. He was actually crying, shedding tears. He kept talking, but Richard couldn’t hear him. He was pretty sure he heard his name a few times, but that was about it. He watched Gavin’s hands move, and press against his abdomen, no doubt to try and put pressure on the bleeding. The extra pressure did hurt a bit, and that cut through the haze briefly, making Richard tense up. A groan left him, but it was less of a groan, and more of a choked cough, as he felt more blood bubble out into his mouth. 

...Yeah, he wasn’t in too good of shape, was he? 

Richard’s vision was starting to become dark. He tried to read Gavin’s lips, but it was too exhausting. He just focused on Gavin’s face. He was still crying. And not tearing up, like he sometimes did during some movies, and certain commercials. No, he was fully crying. Probably sobbing, if Richard could hear correctly. He wasn’t even sure that Gavin’s model _ could _ cry. And now he did. 

...But God, he didn’t like seeing him so sad like this. Despite that, though, he looked oddly...pretty, while crying. Gavin was pretty. Gavin was wonderful. 

Richard wanted to raise a hand up to try and wipe away some of those tears, but the most he could do was making his fingers twitch. Gavin seemed to see that, and took a free hand to squeeze at Richard’s own. And _ God _ his hand was warm. It felt so good. Richard’s whole body was freezing. Another sign that he was in danger, but at this point, he didn’t care. 

He...didn’t care...? 

Richard knew his job would probably lead to his death. Death by shooting, death by stabbing, car accident, being tortured, lung cancer from the cigarettes he smoked, or even from a heart attack from all the energy drinks and coffee he drank. Either way, Richard knew death was just part of life. He’d be lucky if he’d die of old age. But he was only human—he wasn’t an android, that could live forever. Eventually, his time would come. 

But he had always been under the impression that he would die alone. 

And Gavin was here, during his (possible) final moments... 

He was vaguely aware of his body being moved. He couldn’t even feel the pain in his abdomen now. He was pressed up against something warm, and shaking. Blearily, he glanced up, to see that Gavin had pulled his upper body into his lap, holding him close, while one hand continued to apply pressure. He could feel Gavin’s mouth moving in his hair, saying something. Richard couldn’t hear him now. ...Yet, oddly enough, he could hear the thrum of his thirium pump in his chest, as he was hugged against it. 

It wasn’t like a human heart beat, but it was still somewhat similar at the same time. It was something Richard had come to love, and he lost count of how many times he had fallen asleep to the sound of it. 

His lips twitched into a smile, finally closing his eyes as he listened to Gavin’s ‘heart’ beat. 

That, and what little he could hear of Gavin’s voice followed him into the cold, cold abyss. 

The first thing he became aware of, was warmth. 

...Which okay, seemed fine. Hell was supposed to be warm, right? 

...But Hell was also supposed to be bad. This warmth...was comfortable. Soothing. 

Richard also felt rather heavy, and his head felt...light? Now that was odd... 

As more of his senses started to come back, he was also aware of something in and wrapped around one arm. Something was on his face, something small stuck up his nose. Made his nose itch. He wanted to scratch his nose, but he couldn’t move. But this wasn’t like before. This being unable to move was...different. 

...Also something was warm in his other hand. 

Richard started to open his eyes, and immediately regretted it, as he squeezed them shut. The room he was in was too bright, too _ white _. ...But that made no sense. He had been pretty sure he’d be in Hell, with everything he’d done. So why was he in Heaven? He didn’t deserve to be here... 

And then he heard something beeping softly beside him. 

Carefully moving his head, Richard attempted to open his eyes again, his vision swimming before focusing on a machine. It was beeping in a steady rhythm. A heart monitor. 

...He wasn’t in Heaven nor Hell. 

He was in the hospital. 

...Which meant that he lived. He survived. 

He was alive. 

...Well, wasn’t that a surprise. 

Richard’s eyes glanced over at his arm, to the IV that was taped in there. He realized he was probably being given some pretty decent painkillers, if the heaviness of his body and lightness of his head was any indication. If memory served right, that meant that this period of awareness was going to end shortly. 

Sure enough, it was getting harder and harder to keep his eyes open. At least, this time, he knew he could close them and still be able to wake up...hours later. Hours? Days? He wasn’t sure, he just wanted to _ sleep _. As he rested his head back, eyes drooping rapidly, he let his head loll over to look at the warmth in his hand. 

Instead, he saw a body. Rather, a person resting at his bedside. Their head was turned away, but their hand was gently holding Richard’s own. 

But just as Richard slipped under again, he saw a glimpse of a yellow light, coming from that person. 

And he knew immediately who it was. 

The next time Richard woke up, he was a bit more aware. He didn’t know how long it had been, since he last woke up, but he could feel more...which was both a blessing, and a curse. His abdomen was aching with pain. It wasn’t enough to bring immediate attention to it, but it was enough to be uncomfortable. He shifted just slightly in the hospital bed, letting out a low groan. He heard something quickly approach his bedside, and he let his eyes open up. 

The room wasn’t as blinding this time. 

And it didn’t take long for his vision to focus on Gavin’s face, who was right next to his bed, LED a glaring red, and green eyes wide and watery. 

“Ri... Richard...?” 

His voice had no business being that fragile and small. 

Richard smiled a little, feeling dry lips crack slightly, “...Hey.” 

God, he sounded terrible. His lips weren’t the only things dry. 

But before he could ask Gavin for some water, the light-weight android practically crawled up into bed with him, and very carefully wrapped his arms around him, burying his face into Richard’s shoulder, and just...crying. 

Now that Richard could hear it, it broke his heart. 

He moved the arm that didn’t have the IV in it, to wrap it around Gavin and hold him close, gently rubbing his back. He whispered soothingly to him, as Gavin continued to sob into his hospital gown. His smaller frame was shaking, shoulders trembling from the sobs escaping him. 

“S-Scared...” Gavin choked out, hands clinging to Richard, “I...I was so scared...Y...You... Phck, you...were so pale...a-and so cold...I thought...I-I thought...I was t-too late...! I th-thought you...d-d...died in my arms...” 

“Shh...” Richard whispered out, swallowing hard to try and whet his throat, as he continued to hold Gavin close to him, “Breathe, Gavin...Breathe...” 

Though it wasn’t necessary for an android like him, Gavin did as he was told (for once), and took in a few shuddering breaths. Richard could feel how hot they were, even through the gown, and realized his body was warm, too. Could androids overheat from crying too much? 

“You...You’d been stabbed...” continued Gavin, hiccupping (fuck, now they could do that?) slightly, before continuing with a sniffle, “...Four times. Four f-fucking times... You lost s...so much blood... So many bl-blood transfusions... Didn’t...Didn’t think you’d p-pull through...” 

Richard was tempted to tease Gavin then, wanting to ‘scold’ him for thinking that little of him...but he realized now wasn’t the time for that. 

...But now he knew why he had been bleeding so much, and why his abdomen felt like it was still burning a little. Four times... Now that was a record, for him. He realized Gavin was continuing to ramble about his injuries, stating what organs had been damaged, how much blood he’d actually lost, and the surgery he had underwent to fix him up. He felt his body heating up again, and Richard pulled him close. 

“Gavin...” he whispered softly, silencing him, “I’m okay... I’m alive... I’m alive...” 

He moved his head slightly to kiss at the red light at Gavin’s temple, feeling Gavin break down once more, sobbing into him. 

Richard had been close to death a few times. Death was no stranger to him. ...But he had always been alone, when he’d woken up. Maybe a coworker visiting him, but whenever he came to, he had always been alone. Especially since he and Connor hadn’t been on speaking terms, back then. So he’d figured he’d always be alone, even when it came time to die... 

After a few moments, Gavin sat up, sniffling as he wiped at his wet face. Richard reached up to help him, when he heard someone else enter. Glancing around Gavin, Richard saw Connor, followed by Hank, the hulking HK800 android. Connor looked worse than Gavin—he looked like he hadn’t slept a wink, and his red puffy eyes told him that he had also been crying, like Gavin. 

Connor didn’t even say anything, as he made his way over, leaning over the bed and gently gathering Richard into his arms, holding him close, as he trembled, crying quietly into his shoulder. Gavin didn’t move, and soon wormed his way in again, also holding Richard. He was surprised when Connor let him, as both of them held him close, being very careful of his bandaged middle. 

Being careful of the IV in his arm, Richard hugged both of them close, whispering soothing things to them, as they both started to cry. Hank came closer, placing his hands on their backs, rubbing them gently, to soothe them. He probably would’ve joined in on the hug, if Richard hadn’t been crowded enough. They nodded at each other in greeting, before Richard went back to soothing Connor and Gavin. Though he couldn’t help but feel some tears prick at his own eyes. 

All this time, he’d always been under the impression that he’d die alone. That, whenever the Grim Reaper decided to take him away, that he’d just...be alone. No one would be there to hold him, or mourn him. It’d just be him, and...that’s it. But now he and Connor had reconciled. They were back to being brothers. And Gavin was the love of his life. Even Hank managed to worm his way into his inner circle. 

As he held them close, Richard realized that yes, there would come a time where he’d die. He was human, it was inevitable. But he wasn’t going to die today. 

But when that time comes...he knew he wouldn’t be alone. 

He wasn’t alone, anymore. 


	25. Day 25--Adrenaline (both-reverse AU)

It was finally over. The case that the four of them had been working on for nearly a month and a half, had finally closed. They caught the bad guy, no fatalities on their side (only minor injuries), brought closure to the victims, and made Detroit that much safer. They all had a reason to celebrate.

And while GV200 and HK800 couldn’t exactly join in on the celebrations, they still went with their human partners to the local bar. Even if they couldn’t partake in the drinks, it was nice to be around that excitable, happy energy. It was relaxing enough, seeing their respective humans finally be able to relax, after such a long case.

The drinks kept coming.

And coming.

And coming...

Soon, the Stern brothers were completely inebriated and causing chaos.

Even Richard was loose and goofy enough to follow his brother’s example. They got the other patrons of the bar to join in on an impromptu karaoke session (Gavin had to clap his hands over his ears, at all the off-tune, drunken singing), started up a conga line, and even tried to get up onto the tables to start dancing.

Richard was too drunk to be that limber, but Connor managed to get on there.

But just as he was going to ‘swing from the chandelier’ aka swing from the lights hanging from the ceiling, the bar tender ordered them out. At least he wasn’t mad, but he knew things were going to get worse, if he let the brothers continue on.

Their respective android partners managed to herd them out of the bar, paying for their tabs on their behalf.

But the drunken shenanigans didn’t stop there.

“It’s like looking after a bunch of sugar-high toddlers...” sighed Hank.

“Ones that are just mobile enough to get into even more trouble, the moment we look away.” agreed Gavin.

The drunken singing didn’t stop in the bar, and the Stern brothers were arm in arm, singing a show-tune off key, as they swayed back and forth. Thankfully, the streets were practically empty at this time of night, and they weren’t likely to run into anyone. The androids did make sure, though, to keep them from going into the road. They nearly did a few times, and a few they did on purpose, laughing uproariously, when they were pushed back onto the sidewalk.

Hank’s and Gavin’s LEDs were yellow with stress.

...And then they passed the park.

For being drunk, the brothers moved fast.

They went for the fountain first. Connor splashed through the water, and proceeded to climb up the statue, while Richard attempted to ‘swim’ in the water, despite a sign clearly stating that no wading or swimming was allowed. Gavin managed to wrangle his larger human out of the water, while Hank attempted to pull Connor off the statue, who was loudly proclaiming that he was going to ‘fuck the statue’ loudly.

Watching after the drunken Stern brothers was quite an  adrenaline rush.

Though it was equal parts exhausting, and amusing.

Finally, Connor and Richard decided to play around on some light poles. Both of them were too drunk to climb them, and were taking turns spinning around on them, and attempting to pole dance. The key word was ‘attempting.’ They both fell down a good number of times, but the androids determined they weren’t hurting themselves, so they let them do as they pleased.

It gave them some time to relax, for a bit.

“...Y’know?” started Gavin, as he leaned against the building they had stopped by, watching the brothers laugh into the night, “...I’ve never seen Richard this way, before. I never knew he could act so stupid.”

Despite his words, Gavin was smiling.

“I’ve seen Connor drunk plenty of times.” said Hank, joining Gavin on the wall, LED going temporarily yellow, as Connor fell to the ground again, only to get up and dust himself off, laughing and swaying, before getting back onto the light pole, “Normally, he’s a somber drunk. Down, depressing, easily moved to tears. But this...”

He chuckled, shaking his head.

“When Richard gets drunk, he’s either sleepy or horny.” said Gavin, his bluntness making Hank splutter a bit, “Depends on his mood. But, most of the time, he’s...” Gavin tried to come up with the right words, “...He’s  kinda like a fat, lazy cat when he’s drunk. Heavy, affectionate, and sleepy. ...Then there’s the times where he’s horny drunk, and ruts up against my leg, and—”

“I don’t need to hear about your sex life.” sighed Hank, waving a dismissive hand.

Gavin grinned, raising his hand, as the synth skin pulled back, “Oh I could show you, Bear—”

“Don’t call me that. And fuck no.”

Gavin laughed, letting the skin fall back, as he looked back at their humans. Getting them drunk together seemed like a huge weight off of their shoulders. They were relaxed, obviously having fun... They deserved it, after such a troubling case.

Though the hangovers the next morning were going to be...interesting.

But just as Gavin was about to say something, his LED went yellow-red, as he noticed the brothers doing something...different.

“...Are they gonna--?”

Hank looked over, and his LED matched Gavin’s, “...Shit, I think so.”

They both ran towards their humans.

“PUT YOUR DAMN CLOTHES BACK ON!”

After nearly another hour of adrenaline pumping drunk-human wrangling, Hank and Gavin finally managed to get the brothers to Richard’s apartment, who was closer, out of the two. By that point, they were starting to get sleepy. The androids were more or less dragging their humans inside of Richard’s apartment, as they mumbled drunkenly, and incoherently. They changed the brothers out of their wet clothes, and put them into something more comfortable, and dry. They then put them in Richard’s bed, deciding that they needed to sleep somewhere comfortable; the hangovers the next morning would be punishment enough for their silly actions.

Though both androids paused, as the brothers got comfortable in bed. They curled up into one another, moving onto their sides, foreheads nearly touching. Their hands were curled in front of them, with each of them loosely holding the other’s hand.

It...was actually quite sweet.

The two took plenty of internal pictures, before leaving them to rest.

They went into the kitchen and got each of them a glass of water, setting it on the bedside tables, along with some pain killers, before closing the door, and letting them sleep. Richard’s room was right across the way from the bathroom, so if anything happened... at least it was close by, and the chance of any accidents was slim.

Both androids plopped onto the couch with heavy sighs.

“What a night, eh bear?” said Gavin, looking over at Hank, with a grin.

“Don’t call me that.” he huffed, before nodding, “And I agree. What a night, indeed.”

“Though I guess...this is what humans call adrenaline?” asked Gavin, sitting up a little and looking at his hands, “Got quite the rush, trying to corral them both, and keep them from causing chaos.  Kinda thrilling, and  kinda panicky, at the same time.”

Hank looked thoughtful, before nodding, “...That’s one way to describe it. My  thirium pump was racing, when we had to chase them out of the fountain. Though it was rather amusing, hearing Connor say that he wanted to fuck the statue.”

“He’s got your firm ass to fuck, he doesn’t need a statue.” chuckled Gavin, laughing as Hank cuffed him upside the head, a firm blue blush across his furry cheeks.

As they relaxed on the couch, listening for any movement from the brothers, Luci-fur came over to say hello. She was still in a bright pink sweater, and crawled over the androids’ laps, asking for pets. And they obliged. She especially loved Hank’s beard, and crawled up his chest to rub her face all over it. He grunted, LED flashing yellow briefly, but he let her do as she pleased.

Cats were strange. Especially  Sphinx cats.

Gavin chuckled, watching them for a moment, before relaxing into the couch. After a beat, he finally spoke, “...Say, Hank?”

“Don’t call  m \--” Hank paused, realizing that Gavin actually said his name, instead of the  usual ‘bear’ he went with, “... Wh -What?”

“I’m glad we managed to get along.” said Gavin, smiling up at Hank, “I know we got off on the wrong foot, and fought quite a bit...but I’m glad, in the end, that we managed to work things out.”

Hank...blinked at this. Gavin? Being thoughtful? ...Then again, he’d been with Richard for quite some time. Perhaps that had finally rubbed off on him. Maybe. Still, he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, and he smiled as he nodded.

“I feel the same way. It’s nice, having you around.” he said, smiling even more as he watched Gavin’s cheeks flush a bit, “You can be an annoyance, sometimes—”

“Hey!”

“But, overall, your company is...enjoyable.”

Gavin blinked, before quickly looking down at his lap. Hank could see his blush moving up to his ears, tinging them blue, “...Yeah, yours is too. It’s nice to have a tank around, when the time calls for it.”

“And there are times when a light-weight model, such as yourself, is needed.”

“You just enjoy throwing me around.”

“It’s stupidly easy to toss you, like a frisbee.”

“Yeah, well this frisbee can come back and bite your ass, Bear—”

“Don’t call me that.”

They grinned at each other, despite the bickering.

Yeah, they were getting along just fine.

As the night dragged on, the two became rather comfortable on the couch. Eventually, they ended up hand-in-hand, and interfaced briefly. They didn’t share much, just general feelings of...togetherness. Relaxation. The feeling of gentle exhaustion, creeping into their systems, from having to wrangle their drunken humans.

And that’s how they slipped into stasis, that night.

Sure enough, the next morning, the brothers woke up with the worst hangovers of their careers.

They didn’t mind waking up in bed together. During their childhood, they slept together often, taking comfort in each other’s presence during the night. At least, in a hungover haze, they didn’t try to kiss the other, thinking that it was their android boyfriends. They were very grateful for the water and painkillers left behind on the bedside table, though.

“Jesus fuck, my head...” grumbled Connor, stumbling back from the bathroom.

“Don’t talk so loudly...” huffed Richard, still under the covers, practically covering his head with his pillow, “The painkillers hadn’t kicked in yet. Just whisper.”

Connor sighed, as he sank down on the edge of the bed, poking at the shape that was Richard’s legs, “As much as I don’t want to, I think eating something might help.”

Richard sighed, kicking at Connor lightly for poking him, before sitting up, hair an absolute mess, “...Fine. Probably isn’t good to eat those painkillers on an empty stomach, anyways.”

They staggered out into the living room, about to go into the kitchen...when Richard paused, and looked at the couch. He blinked, and blinked again. Then reached for Connor’s sleeve as he passed, tugging him to a stop.

“What?”

Richard nodded at the couch, and Connor saw what had made him stop.

On the couch, were HK800 and GV200. Nice and peaceful, having slipped into stasis. Gavin was resting his head on Hank's shoulder, and Hank's head was resting on top of his. They were sitting, side-by-side on the couch, hand in hand, skin till peeled back. Were they interfacing during stasis? Was that even a thing that they could do?

Connor quietly rushed back to the bedroom, getting his phone, before coming back out and taking a picture. Actually, several pictures.

“That’s so fucking adorable...” he whispered, going back over to Richard, pocketing his phone.

“You better send me those.” said Richard, smiling as he went over to his recliner, getting the blanket that he had draped over it, before draping it over the androids, making sure they were nice and comfortable. He couldn’t help but reach out, stroking at Gavin’s cheek, before pulling back.

“Guess we wore them out, last night.” said Connor, as he and Richard went into the kitchen.

“Guess so.” chuckled Richard, though stopped when the chuckling made his head hurt. Right. Painkiller had yet to kick in, “By the way...do you still remember how to make breakfast?”

“’Course I do, don’t you?” asked Connor, going over to the fridge, looking through to see what Richard had.

“Not really. I’m more for dinner meals, than breakfast.”

Connor rolled his eyes, hiking his pants back up (they were Richards, and they were huge on him), as he leaned over to take some stuff out of the fridge, “Want me to make it like we did, back in the day?”

Richard smiled warmly, “Naturally.”

The brothers quietly made their hangover breakfast, with a touch of nostalgia, letting their androids rest from their wild night last night.


	26. Day 26--First Time Tentacles (reed900)

If anyone had asked Richard Stern, if he’d be sexually involved with tentacles ten years ago, he would’ve given you a look, before calling HR. Or he would’ve laughed,  ** then ** called HR. Depending on his mood. He was a  veterinarian for the local aquarium, helping out injured sea creatures, and getting them back to the sea where they belonged. And, in the case where they couldn’t be set back to the wild, he helped find a more appropriate aquarium or sanctuary for that animal.

Any involvement with any tentacles, was purely work.

And he wasn’t about to have sex with animals, even if tentacles ‘hypothetically’ interested him.

Ten years then passed.

And suddenly, Richard had landed with Gavin.

Gavin, as the creature called himself, was half human, half octopus. Sort of like a mermaid. ...Merman, rather. He had first come to Richard’s aquarium, after being injured in a fishing net. He had been very adamant about hating humans, and let it be known, both verbally and physically. He had bitten, splashed, tripped, and lashed out at everyone there, including Richard. He had felt the power of those tentacles first hand, when Gavin had tried to choke him, upon first meeting him.

But now...?

Well, now Richard found himself in the lovely embrace of those tentacles, without any clothes.

After they started to get along, and Gavin didn’t want to kill Richard anymore, Gavin had mentioned wanting to mate with Richard. To further their bond. Richard knew full well what ‘mating’ was, and had blushed straight to his ears.

_ “How does it work?” _ he had asked.

_ “These...” _ Gavin had raised up the tentacles,  _ “...Go into your holes. Simple as that.” _

So blunt and vulgar.

But despite his words, when Richard had entered his tank, with no clothes on, Gavin was...surprisingly gentle. He let Richard come to him, let him make the first move. Richard had gotten into the water, and let those tentacles gently wrap around him. His arms, his legs, his stomach...

He’d long gotten used to the slimy sensation of the tentacles, and he wasn’t afraid of Gavin’s strength. He trusted Gavin.

And that’s where he found himself now.

The tentacles had long since enveloped him, restraining him just slightly, but not too much, giving him ample room to wiggle away, should he want it. But nothing had entered him yet. A few had brushed by his lips, and he gave them a kiss, but none entered his throat. He...wasn’t entirely sure if he could handle that, and brought that up to Gavin, before this even took place. Gavin took it in stride, and agreed to no tentacles in the mouth. He was being very attentive to Richard’s needs and wants, that it made Richard’s heart swell.

And speaking of being very attentive...

Gavin’s tentacles were touching him all over. Just idle touches, nothing too overly sexual, but just teasing enough to let Richard feel his body slowly start to heat up. Tips of tentacles teased at his nipples, and suckers latched onto them. Other tentacles trailed down his torso, over his hips, and down to tease his inner thighs. Suckers latched onto his skin, leaving marks behind when they pulled away. He felt one trail lightly down his spine, and he couldn’t help but arch into it, opening his mouth in a breathy sigh.

All had avoided his cock, thus far, but it was already hard and very erect, bobbing slightly with each movement and twitch he made.

Richard wanted Gavin to penetrate him already. He wasn’t getting frustrated, per se, but he was eager to feel those wiggling tentacles inside of him. He wasn’t even aware that Gavin had been pulling him closer, until he felt a firm hand on his chin. A human hand. HIs eyes flew open (he hadn’t even realized he’d closed them), just as Gavin closed the space between them, and kissed him.

It wasn’t rough nor rushed. It was...dare he say it, tender. He could feel Gavin’s sharp teeth against his lips, as his hand move from Richard’s chin, to cup at his cheek, instead.

Richard melted into the kiss, eyes fluttering closed again. It’s not a very experienced kiss, but it’s still lovely, all the same. His hands grasp at the tentacles nearest to him, needing something to hold onto. He continued kissing Gavin, not quite deepening the kiss, just...kissing. He likes being this close.  It feels...intimate. Even though they’re not even in bed, it feels like this would be perfectly set, in a bed.

If Gavin’s wet body, and slimy tentacles wouldn’t ruin the sheets and mattress, Richard would take him to bed in an instant.

When he felt something slimy and thick slip passed his cheeks, and prod at his entrance, Richard broke the kiss with a surprised gasp. But Gavin still kept him close, kissing him briefly, before pulling back slightly.

“Relax, Richard...” he purred, and Richard had never heard Gavin’s voice sound so gentle  before , “I’ve got you... It’ll be okay.”

He knew he could trust him.

As the tentacle started to penetrate him, Richard let out a keening whine, followed by a moan, as he felt it slowly slip inside. He was no stranger to penetrative sex...but penetrative sex with something that could move as much as a tentacle could? Now  ** that ** was new. He squirmed slightly in Gavin’s tentacles, feeling them tighten around him slightly, but still not enough to fully restrain him.

“Does it hurt?”

Richard shook his head.

“No. .. Just ...feels...weird.” he said slowly, trying to best describe how it felt, “But...But not a bad ‘weird’ just... I’ve never felt anything like this before...”

Gavin’s warm smile made Richard’s heart skip a beat.

He continued to feel it go deeper inside of him, going further than any cock or toy, for sure. Gavin kept close, kissing Richard as he whispered soft encouragements to him, between kisses. Richard didn’t even realize he was trembling. It felt so good, everything felt so good...

And then he felt the tentacle expand, slightly.

It was just enough to stretch him out a little, and that little soft burn made him hiss softly, tensing up. Immediately, Gavin stopped, waiting for Richard to relax, before letting his tentacle pulse slightly, expanding just enough to gently push against that tight ring of muscle, and the walls inside. It felt absolutely amazing. And Richard’s body had already been keyed up, thanks to the teasing, idle touches of the tentacles. Now that something was truly happening, he was sensitive and craving more.

More, more more...

The kissing soon turned into a bit of a messy make-out, as the tentacle inside of Richard started moving around, slightly. Richard moaned hotly into the kiss, practically gasping for air, whenever Gavin would let him pull back enough to breathe. Apparently, Gavin’s lung capacity was much higher than he first thought. His body was completely limp, left at Gavin’s mercy. He’d be powerless to stop him, if he decided to overpower him.

But he didn’t.

He wouldn’t.

Then Richard started to feel another tentacle prod at his entrance, trying to squeeze in next to the other one. He tensed slightly, breaking the kiss. Gavin was immediately there, stroking his cheek and kissing the corners of his mouth, lightly.

“Are... Is this okay...?” he asked, almost cautiously, “If it’s not...”

Richard shook his head, leaning into Gavin’s touch, turning his head to kiss at his palm, “Just... take it slow. Please...”

“ Of course ...” said Gavin softly, kissing Richard’s  forehead , and he absolutely melted.

The second tentacle moved a lot slower, than the previous one. The stretch did hurt a bit, and Richard tensed briefly, before allowing himself to relax. The stretch was a bit more than what he was used to, but he  know he could deal. Tentacles weren’t firm, like toys or most cocks. They had quite a bit of give to them. They could be squished. Even now, the ones he held in his hands were being squished in his palms, as he gripped onto them. Despite how tightly he was holding on, however, Gavin didn’t pull them away.

Either he had quite a high pain tolerance, or the squeeze of a mere human wasn’t affecting him.

...Both were admirable.

Richard moaned out Gavin’s name, as he felt the second tentacle move deeper inside of him, joining the other. He felt those tentacles around him quiver, and he blinked. Looking at Gavin, he saw he had quite the look in his eyes. Pleasured, and focused. He...He had really liked that moan, didn’t he? The  ten t acle pulsed inside of him, and Richard moaned out his name again. The tentacles quivered.

Oh yeah, he liked that.

Soon, both tentacles were in as far as his body would allow. They engorged slightly, stretching Richard further, and such a whorish noise left him, that he almost clapped a hand over his mouth. ...Rather, he would’ve if he could’ve. But the noise seemed to awaken something in Gavin, his eyes almost turning predatory, as he slowly started to thrust the tentacles into Richard. The tentacles were quivering, as if he were holding back.

Richard, even in his state, had to commend his strength.

Gavin shifted Richard position, just slightly. He moved him a bit further away, but still within touching distance. Tentacles spread Richard’s legs wide, his arms being moved to being tied up above his head, restraining him. The tentacles squeezed around his limbs tightly, but not too tight. Just enough to hold him into place. Gavin looked at Richard, questioningly, and Richard simply nodded. He was fine. They were tight, but it was fine. He could handle it. And...it was actually quite a thrill, being able to be restrained like this. Him, a tall, broad-chested man who had more muscles than a vet should legally be allowed.

As the tentacles continued to slowly thrust into him, some more tentacles came out to wander over his body. What wasn’t keeping his arms trapped, and legs spread, were wandering over his chest, making it nice and slimy, and wet. The tips of his tentacles went back to teasing his nipples, while some toyed with his navel. Richard tilted his head back with a breathy moan, moving his hips into those slow thrusts, feeling his body truly starting to heat up, now. This felt so good, it felt so, so good...

“...Fuck, you look amazing, Richard...” breathed Gavin, watching Richard closely, as he slowly started to speed up the thrusts of the tentacles, watching Richard move into the rhythm, “So spread out... And all just for me...” he chuckled, softly, “I feel so special, seeing a pretty lil’ think like you, like this. And I’m the only one that can see you this way...”

Richard trembled at Gavin’s words, swallowing hard. He had never thought words would go right to his dick, but here he was. And Gavin picked up on that, rather quickly, as he smirked.

“Oho... You like that? Do you like it, when I compliment you, Richard?” he purred, moving his tentacles slightly, spreading Richard a little farther, causing him to arch his back with a loud moan,  reverberating off of the walls of the room, “But you truly are so pretty... All flushed, and wet... Tight, too.” He grinned, thrusting his tentacles into Richard firmly, earning him a pleasured cry, “So lovely, Richard... And you’re all mine...”

Richard barely bit back a whimper, as he felt his body grow hot, reacting to Gavin’s words. He’d only known the creature to be blunt and foul mouthed...but this was amazing. He didn’t know he could make him react this way...

“Y-Yes, Gavin...” gasped Richard, feeling the tentacles start to touch his prostate, causing his body to jolt, “I’m...I’m all yours... I’m... all yours...”

That predatory look came over Gavin again and, with a pleasured, low rumbling growl, he surged forward and claimed Richard’s lips in a rough, but passionate kiss.

The tentacles started to move faster now, with Richard gasping for breath against Gavin’s lips, moaning and crying out into him. A spare tentacle went down between his legs, and finally paid attention to his lonely cock. The thrusting started to get faster, and Richard gave up on trying to move into the rhythm. He was at Gavin’s complete mercy now, free for him to use as he saw fit, for his pleasure.

He was entirely Gavin’s, and he was perfectly okay with that.

Richard tried to continue kissing, but breathing was becoming harder, now that he felt his orgasm about to come. His heart was practically beating out of his chest, his inner walls clenching tightly around the squirming tentacles inside of him. He wondered if Gavin could feel his impending desperation...

“Close... I’m... so close...” he gasped out, practically sobbing with pleasure, as Gavin continued to peck at his kiss-swollen lips, “G-Gavin, I’m...!”

Gavin silenced him with a kiss, as he whimpered into him.

“Shh...it’s okay, it’s okay...” cooed Gavin, kissing away the tears trailing down Richard’s cheeks. When had he started crying? The pleasure felt so overwhelmingly good...that the tears just came on their own. It felt so good, and he didn’t want it to stop...! “I’ve got you... I’m close, too. Come when you’re ready, dear...”

Richard tilted his head back, as Gavin moved in, nipping along his neck with his sharp teeth. His skin felt like it was on fire, despite the cool water around them. He wasn’t going to last long. He wasn’t even sure if he could warn Gavin in time, before he came.

Especially with the tentacle around his cock finally giving it some attention, squeezing it and pumping at it, rapidly.

And especially with the tentacles inside of him, stretching and filling him to his limit, with one of the tentacles becoming a fucking heat-seeking missile, attacking right at his prostate, mercilessly. All it took was a few more thrusts.

Stars exploded in Richard’s eyes as he came with a loud cry, arching his back, nails digging into the tentacles he was holding onto, as he came hard. Cum splattered onto his stomach, and all over the tentacle around his cock, and those nearby. He heard Gavin growl, a sound that traveled through his quivering tentacles, as he moved forward, sinking his teeth into Richard’s shoulder, as his tentacles thrust up into him once more...

Before his own release spilled inside of him.

Richard had no idea that one of those tentacles had been Gavin’s cock.

But he couldn’t do much thinking now, not with one of those tentacles milking at his prostate, overstimulating him wonderfully. He was practically sobbing with pleasure, falling apart at the seams. And Gavin was  _ still _ releasing inside of him. Filling him up. It’s so hot and felt amazing inside, filling him up and it just kept coming and it was so overwhelming, Richard loved it so much, so much inside, filling him and painting his insides white...

White... White...

The next thing Richard became aware of, was a cool hand patting at his cheek.

For a disorienting moment, Richard had no idea where he was. His body was rather hot, and he was up against something just as hot. But something cool was wrapped around him. He didn’t feel like he was quite laying down, but he wasn’t sitting up, either. His head was buzzing pleasantly, as was his body.

“Rich...?”

Richard opened his eyes.

It took a few blinks for  Gavin’s face to get into focus, lovely green eyes staring down at him. The creature’s face split into a friendly grin, flashing those sharp teeth.

“ Aaaand there he is. Come back to me, Richard... Come back to me...”

Richard let out an unintelligible noise, as he curled against Gavin slightly. It took him an embarrassingly long time to realize that he was in Gavin’s arms. They were sitting at the edge of his tank, some tentacles dangling in the water, while others were wrapped around him, draped across his body and holding him close to Gavin’s body, head resting on his shoulder.

Richard gave himself a moment, before shifting slightly in Gavin’s hold. He felt him adjust, still holding him, for which Richard was grateful; he was pretty sure sitting up, or even standing right now, wasn’t going to happen. But as he shifted, he felt something warmer than his body start trickling out between his thighs.

He blushed darkly, suddenly remembering why he was here.

...That hadn’t been a dream.

He just had sex with Gavin, and his tentacles, for the first time...

“How’re you  feelin ’? You scared me, going limp like that... Thought I hurt you or something...” Richard shook his head, moving to sit up a bit more. Gavin’s hold on him increased slightly, “H-Hey now, moving probably isn’t the best id--”

Before Gavin could speak anymore, Richard grabbed a handful of his hair, and tugged him down for a kiss.

He heard, and felt Gavin hiss into the kiss, before melting into it. Still a little breathless, the kiss didn’t last long, and soon Richard was pulling back, smiling softly at Gavin.

“...Can we do that again?” he asked, hopeful.

Gavin blinked at him, before letting out a soft laugh, hugging Richard close to him, “Of course,  you insatiable human.”

Richard had been converted into liking tentacles, and he had absolutely no regrets about it. After this first time, he was going to be sore, yeah. But all of that had been so completely worth it.

Maybe next round, he could fit three inside of him...


	27. Day 27--Tentacle Hugs (Hankcon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight warning of Hank having suicidal thoughts!

It was one of those bad days. Hank never knew when they’d come, he never had any warning. He’d just wake up one day, and BAM—instant dread. And, following that instant dread, came regret and mourning of what happened long ago. Even the fish seemed to sense that he wasn’t in his prime today, and refused to bite and get caught in the net. He’d managed to get a few, but nowhere near what he’d usually gotten.

Getting supper tonight was going to be a struggle.

...But then again, maybe he deserved it.

Hank sighed heavily, taking a long swig of the whiskey bottle in his hand. By now, he wasn’t sure if the swaying was because of him and alcohol, or the waves moving his boat. At this point, he didn’t really care. He’d caught maybe a total of ten fish, and none had been biting since. His nets kept turning up empty. He really didn’t care right now.

All he cared about, was the alcohol chasing away the feelings of guilt and mourning. The burning of the liquid going down his throat did help a lot with that. And if he passed out, even better. He’d be in blissful unconsciousness.

Better yet, if he fell into the water and drowned...then he really wouldn’t have to feel again...

“...Hank?”

Hank blinked at the voice, turning his head. It sounded so  _ innocent _ and for a moment, his heart lurched. But instead of meeting ‘his’ eyes, he was met with large, worried brown ones, staring at him, over the edge of his boat.

It was Connor—the strange octopus fellow that Hank had rescued, a few months back.

He hadn’t meant to catch Connor in his net, but damn did he tangle him good. The ropes had cut into his body, and into his many tentacles. It meant having to destroy a net, but those lovely brown eyes were so  _ human _ , despite being obviously not human. He had been so scared. Hank gave in, and cut him free from the net. And helped patch him up. It was the start of an odd friendship, for sure. But it made Hank’s time out at sea less lonely. Sumo didn’t always want to come with him.

And on a night like tonight, he didn’t want to bring his dog along, to abandon him at sea, should the inevitable happen...

Hank jumped, as the boat swayed grandly, as Connor pulled himself up into it. His upper half was thin like a young man, but he was still large, overall. Enough that, if he had wanted to, he could easily capsize Hank’s boat. ...Only this time, he wouldn’t have minded if he did.

“Hank?” Connor asked again, moving closer to him. Hank let him, watching a few tentacles reach out to wrap idly around his legs, as they settled around him. Cool hands, smelling of the sea, cupped his cheeks and moved his head up, making him look into those wonderful eyes of Connor’s. Eyes that were obviously worried, and concerned for him.

“...Hey Con...” he managed to get out, voice thick and slurred with alcohol. The bottle was just about half gone, and it was the strong stuff. He always got the strongest stuff he could afford. It was more...efficient. His eyes fluttered, as he felt fingers gently scratch at his beard. God, he was so weak to that.

“...Something’s wrong...” said Connor, frowning. His tentacles did a cool thing, that Hank found fascinating. Bioluminescence or something like that. But a stripe of color flashed along Connor’s dark tentacles; it was normally a bluish color, but now it was shifting more towards yellow. Even bits of red. Hank found it beautiful, and he reached out with his free hand to gently stroke at the nearest tentacle. It was cool and slimy, but he didn’t care.

Then Connor moved forward, and kissed him.

...Okay, so not really a kiss. His lips and tongue focused on his beard, tasting what alcohol he had dribbled into his beard. Before, Hank would’ve shoved Connor back, disgusted, but after months of being in his company, he was used to his...odd ways.

That, and he was too drunk to care right now.

Connor pulled back, making a face. He then saw the bottle in Hank’s hand, a tentacle reaching out for it. But before it could, Hank yanked it back, taking one last swig, relishing in the burning sensation, before he pulled the bottle away. He could feel some drops escape his lips, and trickle down into his beard. This time, he didn’t resist, as a tentacle wrapped around the bottle, and took it away from him.

“Talk to me, Hank...” said Connor, his voice so gentle, as the tentacle set the bottle aside, and his body settled in front of Hank. He smelled so much of the sea, and Hank absolutely loved it. He reached out, a tentacle meeting his hand halfway, as he toyed with it, letting the slimy appendage slip through his fingers, like a slippery snake.

“...Bad night.” Hank managed to get out, voice rough and still slurred, “Fish  ain’t bitin ’, ‘s all.”

Connor glanced at the nets, then at the ocean, before turning back to Hank, “...Something else is going on. Lack of fish wouldn’t make you...” His mouth worked, trying to find the right words.

“...Pathetic?” Hank offered to finish for him, a sad smile coming across his lips, “Miserable? Make  m’self wanna toss m’ body overboard, an’ let the sea c-claim me...?”

The color along Connor’s tentacles turned a stark red. But Hank couldn’t stop himself.

“I’m n-nobody, Con...” Hank slurred out, attempting to stand up, but hands—and tentacles—forced him to sit back down. He tried to resist, but alcohol made his body rather pliant tonight, “Had  ev’rythin ’...Had a son...an’ a wife... Cole was s-such...a good kid... An’ then...g-got taken ‘way... Car crash...t-took m’ son away... Wife left me... J-Jus'… Jus’ me an’ Sumo...”

Connor was quiet, listening to Hank, surprisingly understanding him, despite his slurring.

“I’m... ‘m nobody, C-Connor...” Hank hiccupped, though it sounded more like a sob. And when had tears starting forming in his eyes? He didn’t know. He didn’t care... “Jus’...an old m-man... Pathetic an’ drunk.... L—Longin' f- fer what...was... Longin’ for d-death... t’ meet wit’ him again...”

Hank felt himself move. He had thought he was slumping forward, possibly into an empty abyss, where he wouldn’t feel anything, or think of anything... But instead, he was pulled up against something solid, and smelling like the sea. He blinked his eyes open (when had he shut them?), as he watched the tentacles curl around him, holding him close. Thin, yet strong arms also held him, hugging him, along with the tentacles cradling his body.

“Hank...”

Connor’s voice came from somewhere close by, and belatedly, Hank realized that he was being hugged up against Connor.

“You’re not pathetic.” Connor started, and Hank felt his hand move into his hair, fingertips gently rubbing against his scalp, “And after what you’ve gone through, it’s no wonder you’re miserable. But you’re not less deserving, because of those things, Hank. You’re a strong man, making a decent living. You have a lovely dog, a lovely home, and a nice boat. ...And, you’ve got me, too.”

Hank wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or not, but Connor almost sounded...shy on that last bit.

“I won’t let the sea claim you, Hank. I’m here if you need anything, okay? You can talk with me, confide in me... I’m here for you. I’m here for you...”

Hank listened to those words, and let them repeat in his head. It had been far too long, since he had been cared for. It was always just himself, and Sumo. ...And yeah sure, Sumo had cared for him, but in his own doggy way. No, Hank hadn’t had a sentient caring touch in so long...

The flood gates burst open, and the tears began.

Hank shifted slightly, crying into Connor’s shoulder. Connor’s arms, and tentacles, hugged him close, as he whispered softly and soothingly to him. Hank couldn’t stop crying—he was ugly crying to boot, and he couldn’t even calm himself down to apologize to Connor about making such a mess on his skin. He blamed the alcohol. ...But maybe having a good cry would do him some good. Maybe.

He wasn’t sure how long Connor had been hugging him, letting him cry against him, but Hank felt himself drift off, still crying softly. But instead of guilt and grief following him into the darkness, it was a gentle touch, and the scent of the sea.

Hank woke up, to someone jackhammering into his skull.

He groaned, as he rolled over in the makeshift cot he had on his boat. A goddamn hangover. Typical. At least the sun wasn’t out in full force, though as he squinted at the sky, he saw it was getting lighter. He squeezed his eyes shut, hands feeling around, until they touched a water bottle. He unscrewed the cap, before taking a cautious few sips.

Then immediately stopped.

...How had he ended up in bed?

He sat up, as he screwed the cap back on the bottle. His boat wasn’t big enough to have anything below deck to sleep in, but the cabin where the boat controls were, often served as his ‘bedroom’ during longer trips. But he hadn’t been in here, last night. He was out on deck, sitting down and drinking his sorrows away, and then Connor—

Connor.

Getting to his feet, Hank clung to the wall slightly, before leaving the cabin, and looking around. The boat was clear, and devoid of all life. ...Kind of. Hearing splashing off the side of the boat, he went over and peered in... before chuckling.

“I’ll be goddamned...”

His nets, which had been completely empty the night before, were now rather full.

This would land him a decent paycheck, for sure.

He looked around for Connor, but didn’t see him. He then remembered last night, and winced at the mess he had been, when Connor found him. He’d have to apologize for him being witness to all that. But what lingered most on his mind...was how wonderful it had felt, to be hugged close to Connor, tentacles and arms cradling him so gently, yet making him feel so safe.

He owed Connor an apology...and a thanks.

Maybe he could get him to hug him with those tentacles again,  sometime in the future...

Hank had a feeling Connor wouldn’t mind at all.


	28. Day 28--Folklore (both)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda cheated with this one, because I had an idea...and then I lost it. But scary stories could be considered folklore, right? ;u;

It had been quite a normal night. Hank invited Gavin to his house, to watch the game. It apparently had been a big one, and he and Hank were betting money on the teams. Gavin, with Richard in tow, came over just before evening. The clouds were already darkening the sky, by then. An hour later, just as the game started, the rain began to pour, rumbles of thunder off in the distance.

The beer and junk food  was flowing, by then. The androids had allowed their significant others a break, seeing as they were having fun. While they didn’t share a love of sports, like the other two, they still found their energy relaxing. The humans took over the couch, occasionally shouting at the TV, while the androids sat on the floor, perfectly content with petting Sumo, who was eating up the attention. By then, the storm outside had gotten a lot worse, but no one was too worried. If they needed to take cover, Richard and Connor would alert them.

Then the androids stiffened.

Sumo whined, nosing at them, wanting more pets. Hearing Sumo whine, Hank looked over, taking a bite out of some pizza, chewing what he had before swallowing and speaking, “What’s the matter? You two all ri—?”

The words barely left his mouth, before a loud crack of thunder sounded outside, making everyone (androids included) jump, just as the house was plunged into darkness.

“Phck!”

Everyone waited a beat. Then two. Then five. The power didn’t come back on. Sumo let out another whine, and the androids shushed him, gently petting his fur. Sumo didn’t mind storms, but even a loud burst of thunder like that spooked him.

“Fuck, can’t see shit...” mumbled Hank, as he started to stand up. The only things lighting up the room, were the androids’ LEDs, “Con, come with me. Gotta dig out the candles and flashlights.”

“So old fashioned. Suits you.” huffed Gavin with a chuckle, as he sank back down onto the couch. He didn’t see the middle finger shoved his way. Connor got up from the floor, and helped Hank navigate around, finding a few candles, and only two flashlights. After searching around for another few minutes for some batteries, they finally set the candles up...only to find no lighters, or matches.

And Gavin didn’t have his lighter on him, as he was trying to quit smoking.

“Guess it’s just the flashlights, then.” said Hank, tossing one on the couch for Gavin, while turning the one he had on, himself.

“You should keep things more stocked up, Hank.” commented Connor, “If this had happened in the winter, we’d need extra heat, as well as light. And I don’t believe we have any wood for the fireplace, and those were the last of the batteries, and—”

“I got it, I got it.” huffed Hank, waving a dismissive hand, “I suck at planning,  geeze .”

He then paused, getting an idea.

“...Well, it  ain’t winter, but it sure is fall.” he said, going over to his bookcase for a moment, using the flashlight to read the spines, “Halloween’s ‘ round the corner. Why don’t we tell some scary stories, while we wait for the power to come back on.”

“According to reports, the power might not be back on, until around 3am.” said Richard, his LED flashing as he looked it up.

“Even better. We can tell scary stories, until we’re too scared to sleep.” chuckled Hank, grinning a bit more, as he noticed the color nearest to him change to yellow, as Connor grew concerned.

“I don’t think that’d be a smart idea, Hank...” he said, frowning, “You do need your rest.”

“Rest is for pussies.” said Gavin, getting up off of the couch, and over to where everyone else was, “’Sides, I’m up for some spooky stories. Say, Old Man...” he nudged at Hank, earning him a growl, “Let’s see if we can’t get these tin cans to piss their pants.”

“On the contrary, Gavin,” started Richard, looking a bit amused, “We’re not equipped to—”

“It’s an expression, dumbass!”

Hank let out a soft ‘aha!’ as he found the book he was looking for. It was older, and a bit beat up, but otherwise was in good shape. The title on the front was a bit worn, but in the light of the flashlight, it read ’Scary Stories, and More, to Tell in the Dark.’

“An oldie from my past.” chuckled Hank, “Had a bunch of us over, and we’d turn off the lights, pass a flashlight around, and scare the pants off of each other, with these stories. Might be fun to do that now...”

He trailed off, looking over at the androids, their blue LEDs lighting up the room. He held up a finger for them to wait a moment, handing the book to Connor, before disappearing down the hall. He came back moments later, two  bandaids in hand.

“You guys are cheating, with these on.” he huffed, placing one over Connor’s LED and, with a nod of permission from Richard, placed one over his, too. The lights were still somewhat visible, but nowhere near as bright. To test it, both Gavin and Hank turned off their flashlights and, sure enough, the house was in complete darkness, minus the occasional flashes of lightning outside. Perfect.

“Alright, everyone on the floor.” said Hank, taking the book back from Connor, before settling down with a groan. Connor sat down to his left, followed by Richard, and then Gavin, “Now, no looking up the conclusion to these stories. That’s cheating. Gav and I will take turns reading stories from here, and we’ll see if you guys get spooked by them.”

“I believe this is where the line ‘challenge accepted’ comes into play.” said Richard, with a small smile. Connor chuckled, and nodded in agreement. They weren’t easily scared. They got scared by real things (their partners dying, themselves dying, Amanda coming back and taking over, the cold [Connor], abandonment, failure), not anything from stories. But, if their loves wanted to try and scare them, they’d play along.

“A’ight, my house, so I go first.” said Hank, taking the flashlight in his teeth, as he flipped through the book to find what he was looking for. Finding it, he took the flashlight out of his mouth, and held it up, under his chin, giving him a ‘scary’ look about him, “This one’s called ‘White With Red.’”

The story was short, and though it did have a creepy feel to it, it wasn’t truly scary. Even Gavin had heard it before. But it was a valiant effort.

Gavin took the book next, and so it went.

The humans told a few stories from the book, but the androids didn’t find themselves being scared. More curious, than anything. Many a time, they had been tempted to look up the stories, but Hank had  forbade them from looking anything up. Not wanting to spoil anything, and ruin the night, they obeyed. Though it was amusing to them, seeing some stories make Hank and Gavin cringe. Richard got a special delight, seeing Gavin give a full-body shudder, after one story called the ‘Red Spot’ had a spot on a lady’s cheek burst, and a bunch of spiders came out of it.

“I have a question, Hank.” said Connor, as Gavin started flipping through the book next, “These are stories written by other people, yes?”

“Yeah.” said Hank, nodding, “What of it?”

“Well...” Under the bandaid, the glow of his LED turned a thoughtful yellow, “Why don’t you come up with stories on your own? Why rely on the scares of another, when you’re trying to scare us?”

The humans turned to look at each other, before looking back at the androids.

“What, you want us to be scary?” asked Gavin, eyebrow raised.

“If it’s even possible.” teased Richard, “You two are more than welcome to try, though.”

That did it. Both humans had a rather competitive streak, and they both grinned, as the book was set aside. It was going to be a true test, trying to come up with something creative  _ and _ scary for their android lovers, but it’d be worth it to see them jump.

“I think I got one.” said Hank, turning on his flashlight, “It’s a story of a demonic dog...”

Already, Connor’s LED went yellow-red under it’s cover.

“A long  long time ago, there was a monstrous dog that terrorized a neighborhood. No one had ever seen anything like it. The dog was massive like a wolf, but was built like a bear. Muscular, powerful. Rumor had it, that its eyes glowed in the dark, and it was the last thing you saw, before it pounced. No one dared come out at night. Too many an innocent human and stray pet had fallen victim, to this vicious beast. Animal control couldn’t catch it. No one could trap it. No one could poison it. Soon, after a certain hour, no one came out at night. The attacks stopped for awhile. Everyone thought the dog had moved on. But no... It was plotting. Thinking...”

Hank let his voice get softer, and everyone, including Connor and Richard, leaned in to hear more.

“Soon, people were noticing that there’d be deep scratches in their doors, in the morning. Those scratches soon moved up to where the doorknob was. But they never heard a thing in the night. What could’ve caused it? One night, you get up, to get a glass of water. But going into the kitchen...the backdoor is open. Drool covers the doorknob, and bloody paw prints lead inside. You don’t hear your dog barking, or your cat yowling. Horror seizes you, as you realize...this thing  _ can open doors _ . You back away from the door slowly...and then something cold presses against your hand—”

Suddenly, Gavin  ** screamed ** .

Everyone jumped, as Gavin scrambled to get into Richard’s lap, clinging to him for protection. Hank swung his flashlight over to where Gavin had been sitting...

And saw Sumo sitting there.

He had nosed at Gavin’s hand, who had it resting on the ground.

The big oaf, looked at all of them, before laying down where Gavin had been sitting, tail slowly wagging against the floor.

Connor and Hank bust out laughing, Hank soon wheezing and bending over, smacking the ground. Richard kept a bit more reserved, with his shivering human in his lap, but he couldn’t help but smile. 

“Fuck you! And fuck your dog!” snarled Gavin, still clinging to Richard, not wanting to move an inch, “You trained the fucker for that, didn’t you?!”

“We did not.” chuckled Connor, as Hank finally got his breath back from laughing so hard, wiping the tears of mirth from his eyes.

“Sumo  ain’t trained to do much, let along  walk in on cue to a scary story I just came up with.” he said, grinning, “But damn, Reed, that was an impressive scream!”

Gavin flicked Hank off, which only caused him to laugh again.

“Okay, fuckers, time for my turn!” said Gavin, shifting in Richard’s lap, away from Sumo, before turning on his flashlight, “Time to make you short circuit, and piss your pants! So listen up!”

“There’s this entity, that goes around stalking people. No one knows what it actually looks like. It never shows its true self, until it’s ready to strike. But whenever it starts forming, it drains from the energy around it. Electronics, people, other spirits... It takes in that energy and consumes it. Even fuckin’ androids. No matter the energy around it, it takes it. Builds itself up, so that it can be prepared to take down its next victim.”

“Some people say that they see something small, and child-like following them around. Lingering around their homes. Starts off pretty innocent, at first. But then the thing starts to get bigger. Takes more energy, and starts making itself known, scaring you by slamming things against the walls, and even grabbing you, leaving behind deep red marks on your skin. It feeds off of your fear, as well, taking that renewed energy to power itself up. And it’ll continue to do so. And then...just before it strikes, it—”

With a clap of thunder outside, the flashlights suddenly went out.

Even the androids jumped a bit, at that.

“Fuckin’...” Hank swore, smacking his flashlight a few times. Even Gavin did, but to no avail. The lights weren’t turning back on, “...Guys, a little help?”

Richard and Connor took the  bandaids off of their LEDs, helping light up the room a little in a blue glow. But just as they did, Gavin started shaking, and pressed up  against Richard’s chest.

“H--Ha... Hank...” he stammered out, causing everyone to look at him, “Behind you—”

Everyone turned around, and behind Hank, almost at his side, was something covered in a blanket, standing there. Too small to be an adult, but too large to be a kid. Everyone was silent, minus the rain and rumbles of thunder outside. Hank was the first to break the silence with a chuckle.

“Sumo,  you doofus...” he chuckled, reaching out for the blanket, “We’re not cold, but thanks for  thinkin ’ of us.” Perhaps Sumo just took the blanket off of the couch, and pulled it off, accidentally covering himself. But just as Hank pulled the blanket away...

Nothing was underneath.

Just empty space.

Slowly, everyone looked over. Sumo was still in the same spot he had been, as he raised his head, looking at everyone looking at him.

The blue glow of LEDs soon turned to a solid, bright red.

That night, all four of them (five, including Sumo) spent the night in Hank’s room, crowded on his bed. They clung to each other, not daring to open their eyes.

Sleep, and stasis, didn’t come that night for anyone.


	29. Day 29--Oviposition (both)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just the usual eggy stuff--eggs being consensually laid inside of another, inflation, and monster fucking ouo
> 
> Also, as for what sort of monsters Richard and Connor are... I'll leave that to your imagination ;)
> 
> This is a self-birthday present to myself (Oct.29), so happy birthday me!

When the topic of eggs popped up, Hank and Gavin hadn’t realized what it meant. They both liked eggs. They liked them prepared differently, but they didn’t mind them. So, when Connor and Richard had asked if they liked eggs, they immediately thought of food. What they didn’t expect, was the slightly horrified looks on their monster boyfriends’ faces. So, they had rephrased the question.

“Can we lay eggs inside of you?”

...Well, that was new.

Hank and Gavin had been with Connor and Richard, respectively, for a good few years now. They still weren’t entirely sure what sort of species they were, but it seemed like, every so often, a  mat ing season arrived. And during that  mating season, not only did they get incredibly horny, but  apparently they also started to form eggs. Those eggs, once developed, had to be laid into an incubator. And not just any incubator.

A live one.

Another being.

That being, then, incubated the eggs in their own body, until it was time to lay them.

Both Richard and Connor explained, and reassured, that the eggs wouldn’t hatch inside of Hank or Gavin. Once they were laid, it was only a few days until they hatched. But, because the eggs weren’t fertilized, there wouldn’t be any young born from them.

And...it might’ve been their imagination, but they could’ve sworn they sounded a bit...sad...at that revelation.

Something to think about later.

But, as they days went by during mating season, their boyfriends started to swell. Literally. They looked heavily pregnant, if not for the slightly lumpy surfaces of their bellies. They were highly sensitive, and moving around was a chore. It also looked a bit painful at times, and their hearts went out to them.

The rules and situation had been laid out before them. And they were constantly reassured that they’d be safe, and if anything went wrong, they’d stop immediately. Hank and Gavin knew that Connor and Richard would kill  entire cities, just to keep them safe, so they trusted them on that. 

So, they agreed to be incubators for their eggs.

Connor and Richard were elated, so happy that their hugs nearly crushed their smaller humans.

And so, the day of reckoning (the ‘Egg- oning ’ as Gavin coined it) arrived.

They were led to the brothers’ lair, a cave on the outskirts of town. It was cooler, than the air outside, but still strangely comfortable. They’d been here plenty of times, but this time was different. The whole lair had been rearranged, and in the center was what looked like a giant nest. It was padded with foliage from the forest around them, as well as some furs, and even blankets and pillows. For a brief moment, they had to wonder if they had raided the local IKEA store for those, but decided not to question it. The nest was for them, and it did look comfy. Though...

“...Wait, we’re doing this together?” asked Gavin, turning around to look at the brothers, “As in...y’know...not in separate rooms? Chambers? Whatever?”

The brothers shook their heads.

“If we were still with our community, the laying of eggs was a communal event.” explained Connor, “Each individual would have their own nest, but overall the process would be all together, in the same chamber.”

“Laying eggs into another being is a lovely event.” continued Richard, “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, or to hide behind closed doors. The incubators themselves get lost enough in pleasure, to forget everything else around them.”

Hank and Gavin looked at one another.  So they’d be getting fucked. With eggs. Side-by-side.

“Well, if  its as good as you say it’s  gonna feel, guess I can deal with seeing his saggy ass.” huffed Gavin, jerking a thumb over at Hank.

“At least my saggy ass is better than your pencil dick.” Hank retorted back, grinning.

“Hey--!”

The brothers curled around their respective mates, glaring at the opposite’s human. They loved them. They didn’t like it when they insulted each other. The humans eventually calmed down, and reassured their respective boyfriends that everything was okay.

They were surprisingly touchy, though with it being mating season...

Getting into the nest, the humans stripped down out of their clothes. Richard and Connor took their clothes, and folded them up, setting them to the side. Despite most of it being made of foliage, the nest was rather comfortable. And it smelled great, of pine, wood, and just...nature smells. They laid down, getting comfortable...

And then they were pounced on.

Richard and Connor wasted no time, pinning their mates down, tongues practically down their throats, as they ground up against them, swelling bellies pressing against their soft humans. The humans could only hold on for dear life, gasping for air when they could, as they were all but enveloped by their monster lovers. Wandering hands, the pricks of claws and teeth...they’re becoming nice and warm, with all these ministrations.

Slick tentacles come out, spreading their legs, before teasing at their entrances. Hank let out a hot moan, moving into Connor’s tentacle that pressed against his tight hole. He could feel its slick preparing him, and he knew he’d need it. Connor’s cock was a decent size, and with it not being...’human’ shaped, it took some preparation for him to be able to take it.

Gavin, on the other hand, was a complete size queen. He took Richard’s large cock with ease, and he whimpered and moaned as the tentacles teased at him, two of them trying to penetrate him at the same time. He begged for something bigger, and Richard just cooed and purred, nuzzling against his mate, promising that he’d get what he deserved soon...

And, sure enough, they did.

How they timed it, they didn’t know, but both Richard and Connor slid into their human mates, practically simultaneously. Hank and Gavin cried and moaned out, feeling themselves being stretched, as their monster lovers slowly started to thrust into them. Tentacles still kept their legs spread nice and wide, allowing Richard and Connor to press in close, their egg-filled bellies practically crushing their humans into the nest.

Not that they minded.

Hands free, they scrambled for purchase, though the nest wasn’t like a bed. There weren’t many things to really, truly hold onto. Both humans jumped, with their hands connected with one another. It didn’t take long for Gavin and Hank’s hands to be clasped together, squeezing tightly, as pleasure took over them, riding all of this out. They didn’t know when the eggs would come, but they knew they were in good hands. Their others would let them know, when they’d come.

For now, it seemed just like a regular love-making session.

Only this time, with a belly-full of eggs.

Soon, Gavin came first, twitching up into Richard, as his release spilled over his stomach, and Richard’s own egg filled belly. Hank wasn’t too far behind, coming with a gasp, nearly crushing Gavin’s hand, as his release made a mess out of his own furry belly. Connor purred, rutting against him, before leaning down and biting into Hank’s shoulder, as he came inside of him. Richard was close behind, making Gavin gasp, as his own fangs sank into his skin.

The humans then realized something was different.

Normally, when their monster lovers came inside of them, they came in practical torrents, enough to make their bellies swell, with the amount of cum inside of them. Only this time... it wasn’t nearly as much.

“O-Okay...what...gives...?” panted out Gavin, eyes still glassy from pleasure, “That...was a pa- pathetic load...”

Richard bit down on him a little harder in retaliation.

“We need room for the eggs, Gavin.” he replied simply, licking away at the blood coming from the wounds, “We fill you a little bit to have the eggs settle in something.”

“’Cushioning’ them, basically.” continued Connor, looking up at Hank, licking his lips, “It also helps with the incubation process.”

The brothers smiled at each other, before sitting up, their cocks sliding out of their human mates. Unlike what usually happened, hardly any of their release came trickling out. Only their entrance and thighs were slick from the tentacles earlier.

But they’d get messy again, for sure.

Two tentacles intertwined with one another, their eyes closing, as the joined tentacles glowed. Hank and Gavin had witnessed this before. Something about sharing a bond. They didn’t fully get it, but it didn’t stop them from trying it with them, either. And while nothing really happened, they could’ve sworn they felt  _ something _ stir inside of them, when they tried that connection.

Lost in thought, both humans jumped as they felt something else began to prod at their entrance. This was still phallic shaped, but a bit thinner than their cocks. It even seemed more  translucent , too. Nice, loose, and warmed up, the new appendage slipped into them. They squirmed at the different sensation, feeling the ribbed thing slide into them. They felt it give slightly, as they clenched around it. And they really started to squirm, once it reached in farther than their cocks usually went. When it finally settled deep within the humans, the monster brother opened their eyes, pupils into slits, as they smiled.

Then the eggs came.

It was a slow, but steady stream of eggs. They traveled down the ovipositor, just big enough to make a bulge in the organ, as they traveled towards the humans. They looked about normal egg shaped, though some were bigger than others. Hank and Gavin looked at one another, their hands still in one another’s. Time for things to get strange.

When the first egg came up to them, Gavin swore softly, feeling it stretch him a little bigger than normal, as it slipped past that tight ring of muscle, before traveling further in him. He could  _ feel _ the solid thing settling deep inside of him, brushing past his prostate, which made his softening cock twitch.

Hank’s first egg struggled a bit going in, and he had to force himself to relax, as Connor cooed and kissed him all over, to help him relax. The sensation of something solid, and slightly weighty, was  _ strange _ , but it wasn’t unpleasant. Though he squirmed, as he felt it seemingly settled right up against his prostate, before finally moving away, leaving him breathless.

One egg down. ...Though there had to be at least more than a dozen inside of their partners. This was going to be interesting...

Two more eggs slipped inside of them. Then three. Then four. The sensation of being filled up this way, was very strange, but also very arousing. Hank, despite his large size, loved being filled by Connor. By his cock, his tentacles, his tongue...anything he could give him. He felt himself growing even hotter, as he felt the eggs start to fill him up. They were just solid enough for him to feel them, but had enough give that, when he clenched, they didn’t get crushed. When he clenched around them, he could  ** really ** feel them, and feel them shift. Some more liquid was being filled into him too, on top of the eggs. It was either lubricant...or something else. But the sensation left him breathless, and hazy. It was amazing. And he wanted more...

“C-Connor...” he moaned out, feeling a fifth egg slip into him, his body arching up slightly, the tentacles around his legs tightening a little to keep him still, “Please...more...I-I need...  _ fuck _ I need more...”

Connor let out a delighted noise, as he claimed Hank’s lips in a breathless kiss.

Gavin too, was loving what these eggs were doing to him. And he knew, once he recovered from this, he owed Richard a huge apology. When he first heard about the egg laying, he had reacted quite negatively, and hurt Richard’s feelings. He came around, and patched things up, but he still had his doubts. ...Not anymore. As more and more eggs slipped inside of him, he saw Richard’s belly start to shrink...and his own start to grow. His eyed widened, as he watched his belly grow gradually, getting more and more filled with eggs. He felt so heavy, but so hot. It was overwhelming, but not enough. As he heard Hank next to him beg for more, he felt similar. He moaned out Richard’s name, his sweaty hand  slipping from Hank’s grasp. He tried reaching for it again, clumsily, but only managed to smack his hand onto Hank’s belly, squeezing there.

Hank let out a strangled noise, his hand slapping Gavin’s away. But he had squeezed hard enough to  _ feel _ some of those eggs inside of Hank. He glanced over at him, and saw his already big belly start to get even  _ bigger _ . And Gavin didn’t know if it was the pleasure, or the coating of the eggs or whatever...but he wanted to play with Hank’s belly now. He wanted to touch it, kiss it, bite it...

“Focus, Gavin...” purred Richard, reaching out with a clawed hand, to turn him his way, “Maybe soon... But focus on me...focus on this right now...”

...Had Richard read his thoughts? Gavin didn’t know. And was far too gone to care. He simply nodded, before turning his head into Richard’s palm, kissing there, before moving up and taking a clawed finger into his mouth. The thrill of feeling that sharp nail against his tongue made his cock even harder, and he felt Richard quiver above him.

“Fill me up, babe...” breathed Gavin, letting go of Richard’s finger, “Fill me... M-Make me large, with your young... Give them to me...”

Two large eggs slipped in, one after the other, and Gavin arched his back with a hoarse cry.

Hank and Gavin soon became sobbing messes, as the eggs continued to fill them up, with no signs of stopping. The slick noises filled their ears, as well as their own noises, and the noises of the monsters above them. Nothing else mattered right now, just their monster lovers, and those eggs. As they felt their bodies being filled to their limits, they still craved more. Hank let out a choked sob, as he felt more eggs press against his prostate, his cock twitching hard between his legs, ignored as Connor focused on laying the eggs, and kissing and licking all over Hank’s face, cooing to him in a mix of English and his own language.

Gavin was full on sobbing, with how overwhelming everything felt. His cock was rock hard between his legs, but his swollen belly prevented him from reaching down to touch it. He couldn’t form enough coherent words to try and beg Richard to touch him. A few eggs were pressed firmly up against his prostate, and he rocked his body, trying to get them to move. But they wouldn’t. The sensation was too much, but he absolutely loved it. He didn’t want it to stop.

They had lost track of the number of eggs that had slipped inside. All four of them had been keeping track...but soon lost count, as they focused on pleasure. Hank and Gavin were pretty sure words were failing them right now, as slack-jawed as they were. They could only moan and cry out, as the eggs filled them and shifted around inside. Teary-eyed, drooling, eyes unfocused, and clinging to each other’s hands, Hank and Gavin were completely blissed out, and their second orgasm had yet to come.

Richard and Connor just...took in the sight of their mates, so far gone from pleasure, from being filled with  ** their ** eggs. It was a fantastic sight. They were the ones making them feel such pleasure. They were the ones, making them beg to be filled, and crying out their names so heavenly, in pleasured voices. Making such lovely sounds, as egg after egg slipped inside of their human bodies, their bellies expanding in such an amazing way...

But even humans had their limits.

Not wanting to hurt them, Richard and Connor stopped the flow of eggs. Before they could let their human partners recover from the lack of eggs, tentacles reached out, and finally paid their cocks some attention. Both humans practically screamed in pleasure, their voices breaking, as their hips attempted to move up into their touch. Their swollen bellies made it hard, but they tried their best. Hank’s hand was nearly crushing Gavin’s, bruising it for sure, as they clung to each other for dear life.

Then they shifted just right, the eggs moved inside of them, and they came, almost simultaneously. Their cries of pleasure were hardly heard, their voices being as hoarse as they were. Their release exploded over their newly swollen bellies, and over the tentacles wrapped around their members. They continued touching them, the ovipositors inside of them shifting the eggs around a bit more, milking them for all they were worth...

Then the humans collapsed, boneless, side by side. The overwhelming pleasure followed them into the darkness, as consciousness left them for a brief moment.

Richard and Connor watched their humans for a moment, before nuzzling against them, their purring loud enough to make the humans underneath of them tremble. They slipped their ovipositors out, and gathered up some warm, wet clothes, gently cleaning off their humans. Connor paid close attention to Hank’s belly, making sure the cum and slime from everything was washed away. He could tease it later, but right now, Hank needed to rest. This had been exhausting for him, as it had been for Connor himself. Pushing eggs out wasn’t a small feat, especially when making sure his human wasn’t going to be in pain.

Richard used a combination of the washcloth and his long tongue, to clean Gavin up. The human barely even twitched, as he cleaned him off, gently pressing against his swollen belly. His eggs were inside of Gavin, now. His ‘young’ were inside of him. Richard shivered with pleasure, as he kissed at Gavin’s swollen belly. He had done so well, despite his earlier misgivings. He nosed at his neck, checking his pulse. It was fluttery, a bit fast, but after everything, it was to be expected. The pleasure had just made him  faint, it was so  overwhelming .

Richard glanced up at Connor, who was also checking on Hank. Looking at each other, they nodded, before gently shifting their mates further into the nest. They let them settle against one another, though with their bellies in the way, it made it hard for them to curl up against each other. In the end, Hank laid on his back, while Gavin laid on his side, curled up against his larger frame. Beside Hank was Connor, one hand protectively over his swollen belly, as he curled around him. Richard was behind Gavin, one hand also on Gavin’s belly, as he curled around him, protectively.

The monsters, and their mates, slipped into a restful sleep, surrounded by warmth, comfort, and purring.

They hoped to do this again soon. And with mating season coming around as often as it did... There would be more eggs, for sure.


	30. Day 30--Concussion (Hankcon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mild animal violence ahead (don't worry, Sumo is okay)!

The moment Connor rose out of stasis, he knew something was wrong.

For one thing, Hank wasn’t in bed with him. Normally, that wouldn’t be too unusual; sometimes he got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, or to get a drink of water. But he always came right back. His proximity sensors had gone off earlier, telling him that Hank was moving around, more than usual. Cracking his eyes open, he had seen Hank get out of bed, and out into the hall. When he saw the bathroom light turn on, he had slipped back into stasis. There seemed to be no set schedule on when Hank had to use the bathroom at night. Though, the more he drank before bed (whether it be alcohol, water, tea, pop, anything), the more frequently he went.

...Though Hank had been a bit embarrassed when Connor made that observation.

_ “Don’t go setting up a pee schedule for me,  _ _ geeze _ _ .” _

But that was beside the point.

Because according to Connor’s internal clock, it had been 10 minutes, since Hank first rose.

It never took Hank that long, in the bathroom. And he hadn’t drank alcohol before bed, aside from a bottle of beer, but that wouldn’t make him sick...

Something was wrong.

Connor quietly rose out of bed, putting on Hank’s hoodie over his naked body. It fell nearly halfway down his thighs. It’d do, for now. Sumo was still asleep on the foot of the bed, and hadn’t stirred. Maybe nothing was wrong, after all? Still, Connor couldn’t get the feeling out of his systems. ...But his and Hank’s guns were in the living room in a locked safe, and Hank’s revolver was locked away in a drawer in the kitchen, and only Connor had the key. So, no weapons.

The moment Connor stepped out into the hall, he heard footsteps. His LED went red, and he hid in the bathroom, hand over his LED as he peeked around the corner. Those weren’t Hank’s footsteps. They were lighter. But they weren’t of anyone Connor knew. Someone was in Hank’s house.

Someone was in  ** their ** house.

“Shit...” hissed Connor under his breath. Who was here? He needed to find them, before they got to Hank. But as he peeked out around the corner more, he froze, seeing a familiar pair of feet, sticking out by the couch. Those were Hank’s feet. His ‘heart’ in his throat, Connor listened carefully, before moving swiftly. He stopped at the mouth of the hallway, before peering around it. Sure enough, Hank Anderson was on the ground, flat on his back. Connor relaxed, only briefly, when he saw the slow rising and falling of Hank’s chest.

He was breathing. He was alive.

Just unconscious.

Listening again, Connor quickly made his way over to Hank’s side, swearing again. He had to cover up his LED to keep from giving away his location in the darkened house. There was a small puddle of blood underneath Hank’s head, soaking into his hair. With his free hand, he took Hank’s pulse, as he did a quick scan. He was alive, pulse slightly quickened, no doubt due to the pain in his head. He had been hit there quite hard, and while there wasn’t any serious damage, no doubt it was a  hard enough blow to give him a concussion.

But before he could try to rouse him, the footsteps sounded again, coming in from the kitchen.

“ Goddamnit , nothing of interest... C’mon old man, you  coulda had  _ something _ I could steal for some cash!” muttered the guy, as he came into view. He was wearing baggy clothes, which were torn and dirtied, and even his shoes had a decent  amount of holes in them. Homeless, probably. And, as he turned to face Connor, he saw that his eyes were red, and unfocused. Judging by the substance around his mouth and nose, he was a Red Ice user.

He had been looking around for something of value to sell, no doubt for some more Red Ice.

He blinked unsteadily at Connor, before whipping out a gun. Connor didn’t recognize it as either his or Hank’s. Still, it shouldn’t have been in his hands, “The fuck are you? Where’d you come from?”

Connor slowly raised his hands in defense, as Hank groaned painfully below him. He wanted nothing more than to care for him right now, but he couldn’t just divert his attention away from this unstable man. His LED flashed, as he went ahead and sent out a distress signal, alerting any cops in the nearby vicinity--

Only to have a bullet just barely miss his face, hitting the door behind them.

“An android? The fuck?” the guy growled, taking a few steps forward. Connor tensed, ready to launch himself at the man, should it call for it, “Why’d your thingy flash? Who’d you call, huh? Who’d you...?”

The man trailed off, as he stared at Connor, coming to some sort of realization, “...You’re...an android. Your blood makes my stuff. ...If I take  ** you ** in, then I’ll get a hefty discount, as they make some good Red Ice  outta you!”

“I’m not going anywhere, especially with you.” said Connor calmly, “You’ll already be charged with breaking and entering, as well as  assaulting an officer of the law.”

The guy barked out a laugh, using his gun to gesture to Hank on the ground, who was struggling to come to, “What,  _ HIM _ ?! He’s a cop?! As if! Don’t make me laugh, you bucket of bolts!”

He stepped closer, nudging Hank’s foot with his boot, as Hank weakly tried to kick out at him. He tried to sit up, and Connor moved to stop him, only to have the gun trained on him once more.

“Don’t move,  you plastic piece of shit!” snapped the guy, “Didn’t say I needed to take you alive. All I need to do is put a bullet between your eyes, and...”

He slowly raised the gun up. Connor tensed, ready to launch at him, ready to duck down to avoid the bullet that would be fired his way. He was already  preconstructing the scene, ready to predict the unstable man’s movements, constructing on how to take him down and subdue him—

But a loud snarl broke through, and the guy screamed, as he was sudden launched at by something large...and furry.

“Sumo!!”

Sumo, who must’ve heard the gunshot, had come out to investigate. And while he was probably the most docile dog Connor had ever come across, even he seemed to know when his master (and master’s lover) were in danger. So, all 170lbs of him came rushing at this man, throwing him into the table next to the couch, making the lamp crash and shatter to the ground. But Sumo hadn’t moved, his jaws around the guy’s upper arm. Even from here, Connor could see Sumo’s teeth sinking in past cloth, and into soft skin. Sumo let out a ferocious growl, shaking his head violently.

“S-Sumo...attack...” mumbled Hank, chuckling softly, still making no move to get up.  So he was...slightly conscious. That was good. Connor looked at him once more, before getting up quickly. The guy was in pain, sure, but he was quickly recovering. But, during the attack, he did drop his gun... Connor quickly grabbed it, as the guy tried to punch at Sumo’s head, missing grandly and only hitting his neck. One punch did land, and Sumo pulled back with a yelp. But before he could recover, Connor knelt down, pressing his knee into the man’s chest, as he leveled his own gun at him.

And with androids having no fingerprints, it didn’t matter if he was handling the gun

The guy completely froze, eyes wide and hazy, and bloodshot. Where Sumo had bitten down, blood was starting to blossom forth. Connor made a mental note to give Sumo a lot of treats for his heroism.

“You made quite the mistake, breaking into the house of two DPD officers.” said Connor coolly. His LED flickered, getting a notification, and he blinked, a sly smile appearing on his lips, “Backup is on the way. I suggest you stay put, until they get here.”

“G--Get off of me, you  pantsless freak!” yelped the guy, trying to shove Connor off with his bad arm, only to yelp and freeze. Connor blinked, glancing down. He...wasn’t wearing anything underneath the hoodie, was he? He had entirely forgotten, in the moment. And kneeling on the man’s chest, he was getting...an interesting view for sure.

Connor huffed, getting off of the guy, and roughly flipping him over. Taking the cord from the fallen lamp, he tied the man’s wrists together, before whistling to Sumo. Sumo, who had been over by Hank, came over, only to growl at the man. The guy froze, hearing that growl. Connor couldn’t help but smirk, as he got up off of him...before  maneuvering Sumo to sit down on top of the man. All 170lbs of him. He heard the guy wheeze, as Sumo settled down.

“I wouldn’t move, if I were you.” said Connor, kneeling down in front of the man, to get his attention, “Unless you want to feel the bite of a St Bernard again...”

“G--Get that  Cujo offa me!” yelled the guy, struggling, only to stiffen, as Sumo moved around, snarling at him. Connor smiled, giving Sumo a few pets, before going back over to Hank.

Hank was more or less awake, but his eyes were blinking rapidly, unable to focus. The bleeding from the back of his head had stopped, but had crusted into his hair, and stained his nightshirt. Connor helped him lean up against the back of the couch, staying by his side, “Hank? Are you with me?”

“Head f-fuckin' hurts...” grumbled Hank, raising a hand to touch the back of his head, only to be stopped by Connor, “Where’s...th’ fucker that came...?”

“Sumo has him pinned. I think he frightened him enough earlier, that he won’t move.” said Connor, smiling. Hank started to chuckle, before wincing.

“ Uugh , fuck...feel sick...” Hank leaned over to the side, and Connor held onto him, but as Hank dry-heaved, nothing came up. No doubt, he felt horrible. From what he was looking up, concussions weren’t too much fun, “Can. ..Can I  jus ’... Jus’ go back t’ bed...?”

“Medical’s on their way, Hank. Stay awake, until they get here.” said Connor, brushing some of Hank’s hair out of his face, “I can scan you and tell you have a concussion, but a medical android, or professional, will have to determine if you need to stay awake or not.”

From what Connor had seen, it wasn’t anything too serious, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

“...S-Sumo got the guy...? How bad...?” asked Hank, struggling to keep his eyes open.

“He bit into his bicep, and made him bleed, so I’d say he got him pretty good.” said Connor, with a smile, “He’s a very good boy, we’ll have to give him a lot of treats, after this.”

Hank smiled softly, a little loopy-looking, but Connor could tell it was a genuine smile, “Good boy...” He then looked up at Connor, before reaching up and patting his cheek, “...An’ yer a good boy too, Con...”

Connor chuckled, taking  Hank’s hand and kissing at his palm. He was going to be just fine.

Within minutes, medical had arrived, as well as back up. The closest ones had been Gavin and Richard. Gavin had made a quick comment of Connor being a ‘pervert’ (‘Put some damn pants on, you stupid ‘droid!’), before he and Richard got the guy off of the floor (only once Connor called Sumo off), and dragged him out, reading him his rights. Medical immediately went to Hank, asking him some questions, before a stretcher was brought in.

“I’d like to come with, please.” said Connor, going over to the team, as they started to pull the stretcher out of the house.

One of the medical team looked at Connor, before  _ really _ looking at him, “Just...put on some pants quick, and you can come with.”

Connor didn’t take long to go into Hank’s room to put on a pair of old shorts, before coming out. He checked on Sumo, made sure he was okay, before checking his food and water. He got an alert that Tina and Chris would watch over the house, until Hank and/or Connor came back. That way, no one would break in. The lock on the door was now destroyed, thanks to the Red Ice guy, so that would have to be replaced.

A small price to pay. At least Hank was alive, and so was Sumo.

Connor himself too, was alive.

As he settled in the ambulance, he took a hold of Hank’s hand, feeling him squeeze it reassuringly, as the doors closed and the ambulance drove off. He was going to be okay. Everything was going to be okay.

They’d be back soon, in bed, in each other’s arms in no time.


	31. Day 31--Halloween (both)

“Hank, what sort of costume do you want to wear?”

“I honestly don’t care. Just  gotta be kid appropriate, since we’re handin’ out candy at the station.”

“So, nothing revealing or sexual,  _ Gavin _ .”

“Hey, why’d you call me out like that?!”

The four of them—Hank, Connor, Richard, and Gavin—were at a local Halloween store. The floor was covered with random Halloween decorations, and the walls were lined with costumes. One half of them were kids costumes, the others were for adults.

The DPD was holding a small Halloween event for the community. The officers there were to dress up, and hand out candy to the kids that’d come by for some games and having fun in police cruisers. Fowler always went full-out with the event, requiring everyone to dress up, and bring at least two bags of candy each. The whole station was decorated for the occasion, as well. All they had to do now, was find some costumes to wear.

Which was easier said than done.

With so many choices before them, it was hard to pick out just a single costume.

“Oh, Hank! What about this?” Connor went over to some sci-fi costumes, picking out a Han Solo get up. Hank hummed, and looked it over.

“Wouldn’t mind goin’ as good ol’ Han.” he said, with a smile, “Does that mean you’re gonna be my Leia?”

“Oh, hell no!” huffed Gavin, “Pick something else!”

“He won’t be going as Slave Leia, so what’s the big deal? Connor can wear what he wants.” sighed Hank, giving an annoyed look at Gavin, “And he’s too lithe for Chewbacca...”

“Yeah, well...knowing you two, you won’t be able to keep your hands off one another.” said Gavin, giving  them both looks, “We’ll be seeing you disappearing into the bathroom, and go to make a baby Ben pop out between that tin can’s legs!”

Hank actually snorted out a laugh at that, while Richard and Connor looked a bit confused.

“Well, I’ll give you that, it would be hard to keep my hands off of Con, dressed up all nice.” chuckled Hank, looking over slyly at Connor, making him blush.

“Moving on...” sighed Gavin, moving on with the costumes, shaking his head, “...’Sides, if we’re doing Star Wars,  ** I ** wanna be Han. I got his rugged good looks.”

“Yeah, but you have the attitude of Jabba the Hut.”

“Why you—!”

Richard put his hand over Gavin’s mouth, before he could curse at Hank. There were kids in the store as well, and being officers of the law, they had to make good impressions. Didn’t stop Gavin from cursing into his palm, muffled enough to where the children wouldn’t hear him. Though as he waited for Gavin to calm down, something caught his eye...

Letting go of his human, Richard walked over to another section of costumes, before picking something out, and looking around for a dressing room. Finding one, he smiled, looking over at the group, “I’m going to try this on really quick.” That was the only  explanation he gave, before getting one of the associates to help him into a changing room.

“Leave it to him, to find his costume first.” huffed Gavin, folding his arms over his chest. He had no idea what he wanted to be. ...Rather, he had a lot of ideas, but most of them weren’t kid friendly. Bloody zombies would scare kids, and being a stripper cop wouldn’t be something to wear around young, impressionable children. Even Gavin had his limits.

Richard then came out in his costume, and Gavin nearly choked.

He had on what looked like a body harness, in the shape of a pentagram on his bare chest. The rest of the outfit was a very form fitting, very short dress. It showed off his lovely thighs, and broad back, but...

“Nope!  Noooo no  no no nope!” Gavin quickly shooed Richard back into the changing room, “ Nuh uh, you’re not wearing that! No way!” Then, in a whispered voice, only for Richard to hear, he added, “...But go ahead and buy it, babe, because you look amazing in it.”

Richard smirked.

Connor, who heard it anyways, rolled his eyes, “Please don’t engage in sexual activities in the uniforms...”

Both of them flipped him off, causing Hank to laugh.

They walked around some more, trying to find some costumes to wear. Clowns were off the table (Gavin immediately shirked away from those), Hank almost went as a sort of bear, but after seeing the looks in Connor’s and Gavin’s eyes, he turned it down (he knew what they were implying, and yeah not around kids). Richard suggested he and Connor going as ‘haunted’ porcelain dolls, which would work out... but could also be a bit creepy. Especially since his first example was of Annabelle.

Which, he reiterated, wasn’t a porcelain doll, but a  Raggedy Ann doll, but he digressed.

“I could go as this.” chuckled Hank, looking over at the priest and nun uniforms, “Gav and I can go as priests, and Con and Rich could go as devils or angels.”

“That wouldn’t be too bad...” said Gavin, shrugging, “I’d put up for wearing the cloth for a night.”

“And I’ll be the devil.” said Connor...and Richard, at the same time.

They turned and blinked at one another.

“Then I’ll be the angel.”

Again,  simultaneously .

As their LEDs went red, arguing wirelessly, Gavin and Hank put the priest outfits back. It wasn’t worth it, if their androids were going to fight over who was going to be what. Though, as much as they were up for some  sacrilegious antics, doing so in front of kids and their parents...probably wasn’t the best idea.

Once the brothers calmed down, they continued searching for costumes, coming up with nothing.

“Hey, we could go as androids, and they could go as humans.” said Gavin, nudging Hank with a grin, “Whatddya say?”

“That...might not go too well.” said Connor, frowning, “Us pretending to be you two would be harmless enough, but the opposite...”

“One could say ‘cultural appropriation’ or even  in bad taste, given how humans and androids are, in general.” shrugged Richard.

“Tsk. Political correctness...whatever.” Gavin did, surprisingly, drop the subject, though.

Hank shook his head, before looking over at the neck  aisle they were about to go down.

And he smirked.

“...Guys, I think I found the solution to our problem.”

As with every year, the Halloween event at the DPD was a huge hit. Everyone had dressed up; Fowler was a pirate, Chris was Frankenstein’s monster, Tina was a knight, and Ben was ‘Santa Claus on Vacation’ (complete with tropical holiday themed shirt, candy cane swim trunks, a beard, a Santa hat, and even a margarita glass with a candy cane toothpick in it). Various other officers, human and android alike, were also dressed up to varying degrees. The kids were absolutely adoring the outfits, and their happy squeals of laughter filled the station.

Hank and Gavin had decided to go as werewolves. Nothing too scary, just some fake ears, a tail, and some furry clawed hands. Gavin was in a flannel, torn in some places, as his ‘fur’ started to burst out of his clothes. His chest had the most fur on it. Hank was dressed almost the same way, except he took one of his older ‘wild’ shirts to tear up, so he looked like he was busting through the seams, with his ‘transformation.’

And since they were such ‘wild’ werewolves, they needed ‘handlers.’ And what better handlers, than some vampires?

Both Connor and Richard had taken on the role of vampires. Hank had suggested, while at the store, that it made sense—androids drank blue blood, which is what androids needed to survive.  So they technically could be considered vampires, even in general. They decided to go for a more Victorian look, than the normal cheap ‘Dracula’ look. Connor had to buy fake fangs, whereas Richard apparently had fangs already on his own; they were just part of his ‘intimidation’ programming.

Judging from the look on Gavin’s face, when Richard showed them, Hank had a feeling those fangs had been used outside of their normal terms of use...

The androids went all out with the outfits, helping their humans dress up as well. Connor had his hair a bit longer, tied back into a ribbon, whereas Richard had his flowing straight over his shoulders. Their outfits looked  directly out of that time period, complete with cravats, frilly shirts, and velvet coats. Richard even had a cane.

They could very easily go the scary route, but the kids seemed to love them being vampires. Even ‘stone-faced’ Richard cracked a smile or two, as kids came up to them for candy. The humans played the part of werewolves well, growling and snarling, only to have the collars around them being tugged slightly, by their vampire handlers, who reassured the children that the werewolves wouldn’t bite or scratch them, while they were around.

A few kids even gave them some scratches behind the ears.

The androids found that freakin’ adorable.

“I think you’re enjoying this far more than you should.” chuckled Hank, tugging on the chain that was connected to his collar, “But you are having fun, right Con?”

“I am.” said Connor, nodding with a smile, flashing those fangs, “And I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself too, Hank.” It went without saying that, events like this could be very hard on such a man, after what he had gone through with his own child...

Hank waved a dismissive hand, “I’m fine, Connor.” He saw that expression, and knew immediately what he was going to say, “’Sides, I’m having fun, everyone here is the happiest I’ve seen people in awhile, and I personally get to witness Reed being a whipped dog.”

“Shut it, old man!” snapped Gavin, only to be silenced, as Richard gave his leash a firm, but not too choking, tug.

“Down, boy.” he said, smirking.

Gavin about flipped him off, if it wasn’t for Connor forcing him down on his knees, as kids started to come by, ready to see the ‘scary’ werewolves and ‘cool’ vampires.

“Show’s not over yet, guys.” said Hank, grinning, his own fake fangs showing, “Let’s have some more fun, shall we?”

The night passed quickly, in a flurry of laughter, screams, and candy.

A truly Happy Halloween.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the end of Writetober is here! Thank you SO much for those that stuck with me, through it all! This was challenging to do, forcing myself to write daily, but it was fun, coming up with scenarios for the prompts I picked! I hope to do this again soon! ouo


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